Dead baby found on campus at University of Tampa
Tampa Police are investigating after a baby was found dead near a dorm building on campus at the University of Tampa.(Credit: FOX 13 Tampa Bay)
An abandoned, dead baby was found in a garbage bin near a freshman dormitory at University of Tampa's campus on Sunday, police said.
Tampa police officers found the infant's body wrapped in a towel in the receptacle at the school's 401 W Kennedy Boulevard campus around 7 p.m., WTSP reported. A Tampa Police Department spokesperson said there was "no threat to the public."
The mother was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, while the newborn's body was taken for autopsy, the outlet reported.
"The circumstances surrounding the baby's death are under investigation," the spokesperson said.
Police could be seen on the University of Tampa campus near McKay Hall on Sunday, April 28. (Fox 13)
"The loss of a child is always a tragedy," Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw told WTSP in a statement. "As our department actively investigates this incident, we want all expectant mothers to know there are resources available."
The university told students via the text alert system that there was "currently an active TPD investigation in the McKay Hall area," telling students to "avoid the marked areas," according to the Tampa Bay Times.
A university spokesperson told Fox News Digital that there was "no danger to the university community," and that "the University of Tampa is not nor has been on lockdown as a result of this incident."
"The University is cooperating with TPD on the investigation and is offering counseling and resources to the campus community," Eric Cardenas, assistant vice president for communications and public affairs, said on Monday.
University of Tampa students were told that police were conducting an investigation in the area of McKay Hall, a freshman dormitory housing about 160 students around midnight on Sunday. (Fox 13)
McKay Hall is situated in the center of the Florida school's campus and houses 160 first-year students, according to the University of Tampa website.
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Tampa police said the baby's cause of death is still under investigation. (Fox 13)
Video from late Sunday night showed the department's forensics teams near the dorm, Fox 13 reported.
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The University of Tampa did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital for comment.
Florida has a "safe haven" law allowing parents to surrender "unharmed" newborns under seven days old to any fire station, EMS station or hospital with full-time staff, according to WTSP. No charges will be filed against the person unless there are signs of abuse or neglect.
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