MLB legend Dennis Eckersley's daughter Alexandra left newborn freezing in woods as she feared losing home
MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Alexandra Eckersley, the adopted daughter of a former Boston Red Sox pitcher and MLB Hall of Famer, Dennis Eckersley, got arrested for leaving her newborn baby unclothed in 18-degree weather after giving birth early Monday morning, December 26, intentionally misled authorities regarding the baby’s whereabouts because she was afraid she'd lose her home, her tent in the woods. Officers spent about an hour looking for the newborn, but the search was hampered by inconsistent information given by Eckersley, who had no clue she was pregnant and that she felt she had to use the bathroom.
Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg said, as stated by Law&Crime, "If you choose to live in the woods, this city, this police department, many city departments, do outreach at these camps daily, seven days a week. So if you choose to be in the woods and you refuse our outreach, you refuse services, so be it, that’s your decision as an individual." He further added, "But you don’t get to do this to a child. I don’t care what excuses I’m undoubtedly going to hear. I’m going to hear mental health, I’m going to hear substance abuse, I’m going to hear alcohol abuse, whatever it may be and I’m always sensitive to that. But when it comes to this, I lose my sensitivity, my compassion for those excuses.”
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When investigators asked Eckersley, who appeared to be under the influence of drugs, why she decided to leave the baby in the tent. She responded by saying, "What do they tell you when a plane goes down? Save yourself first." A report by Yahoo! states that Eckersley and her boyfriend also decided to turn off the propane heater in the tent, which sheltered the baby, while they waited outside for an ambulance. However, police allegedly found the baby uncovered and "struggling to breathe" on the floor of the tent near the Piscataquog River at Electric Street, the New York Post reported.
Eckersley was arraigned on Tuesday, December 27, in Hillsboro Superior Court-North on charges including endangering the welfare of a child, falsifying physical evidence, second-degree assault, and reckless conduct.
