Over 1000 people 'waiting in line' to adopt baby India who was found dumped in a plastic bag in Georgia
More than a thousand people are reportedly "waiting in line" to adopt a baby girl who was found abandoned by the side of the road near Atlanta, Georgia. According to authorities, the baby — who has been named India — does not have a shortage of people who want to provide her a forever home.
The director of Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services, Tom Rawlings, while talking to Good Morning America, said: "We have people waiting in line to provide that child with a forever home."
Rawlings stated that over 1,000 people are interested in adopting the child, with a waiting list of nearly 200 families looking to adopt her in Georgia alone.
The child was found by two sisters, Kyler Ragatz and Kayla Ragatz, who alerted the police about a baby crying along the side of a road at just after 10 pm on June 6 in Forsyth County, north of Atlanta. The sisters said they initially heard a cat-like noise but eventually saw a baby's arm sticking out of a plastic bag.
The authorities arrived shortly at Daves Creek Road in Cumming, and found the baby wrapped in a plastic bag with her umbilical cord still attached. She was also stained with blood from her birth, however, she had no significant injuries.
The deputies eventually publicly released the video of the rescue, recorded on an officer's body camera, in an effort to find the identity of the baby. The department took to Twitter, asking if anyone in the area knows "a female who was in late stages of pregnancy."
The clip showed an officer reaching for the light brown plastic bag containing the baby and ripped it open to find the crying infant inside.
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Forsyth Sheriff's Deputy Terry Roper, who was first on the scene, told the show: "When we were able to pick her up, wrap her up, get her a little warm, I was able to talk to her a little bit. I wanted to give her comfort. A little bit later I realized it was the first time she had felt love, and I felt honored to be able to give her that."
India was handed to medical first responders, who performed first aid on her and wrapped her in a blanket. The deputy said that the child is now being well cared for and is now laughing and smiling.
"In child protective services we deal with a lot of tragedy, of course, but it's great to have a miracle," Rawlings said of baby India's survival. "And this truly is a miracle.' I've been working child protective services for almost 20 years now, this is one of the most exciting, wonderful miracles I've seen in my life."
Georgia reportedly has a Safe Haven law which allows a child's mother to leave her baby, up to 30 days old, with an employee of a health center, medical facility, birthing center or institutional infirmary in the state without prosecution.