Corpse Of Newborn Found Inside Houston Portable Toilet

The body of a “full-term” baby with the umbilical cord attached was found inside a portable toilet of a recreational facility in Harris County, Texas, on Thursday, police said.

Authorities received a report at approximately 11:30 a.m. of a baby being found inside a porta-potty at Magnolia Gardens Park in the 1800 block of Riverside Street, Maj. Susan Cotter of the Harris County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

According to Cotter, service personnel had come to empty the portable bathroom when they discovered the dead infant. "When they came to empty it today, they found the baby, a full-term baby, in the porta-can with the umbilical cord still attached," she said.

"It's tragic... very tragic," Cotter was quoted as saying by the Miami Herald.

Investigators believe the baby to be a boy, KTRK-TV reported. Authorities did not provide further details regarding the newborn. The county medical examiner will conduct an autopsy of the body.

Cotter said service personnel last emptied the portable toilet Monday morning. She said the facility, described as a "recreation place where people go swimming," saw a lot of people come in to the area during the past weekend due to the holidays but has since been empty.

Police said they have no information on a possible suspect or the newborn’s mother. They have urged the public to submit any helpful information to either Houston's Crime Stoppers or the sheriff's office at 713 274-9100.

A similar incident happened early last month when a fisherman found the remains of a dead infant in Brady Creek Reservoir in McCulloch County. According to the Brady Police Department, the baby's remains were found partially submerged in an ammunition container on May 7.

Texas' Safe Haven Law -- also known as the Baby Moses law -- allows parents to surrender their babies that are younger than 60 days old to officials at designated places such as hospitals and fire stations free from prosecution as long as the children are unharmed. The infants then receive medical care before they are placed with an emergency provider.