Fact check: Newborn abandoned in Mesa, Arizona, sparks string of false claims in other cities

BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY
·3 min read
108

The claim: Police found an abandoned newborn baby in Hot Springs, Arkansas

The discovery of an abandoned infant in Arizona prompted some social media users to suggest the newborn was found in different places around the country.

“BREAKING UPDATE: A newborn baby has been found in hot spring (sic) this morning by the police. Let us spread the word and help identifying who this newborn baby belongs to,” read a July 27 Facebook post that was shared more than 250 times in two days.

Other versions of the claim said the baby was found in places such as Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Harlingen and Lewisville, Texas, and Mingo County, West Virginia.

But there are no credible reports that an abandoned newborn was recently found in any of those areas. The image included in the post matches a photo of a newborn baby found in Mesa, Arizona, on July 22.

Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

USA TODAY reached out to users who shared the claim for comment. The user who shared the Lewisville claim acknowledged the incident didn't take place there, and the user who shared the Harlingen claim said they weren't sure if it was true or not.

The newborn baby was found on a doorstep in Mesa, Arizona on Friday, July 22, 2022.
The newborn baby was found on a doorstep in Mesa, Arizona on Friday, July 22, 2022.

Image shows newborn found on doorstep in Arizona

The image in the post matches a photo shared by the Mesa Police Department in Arizona on July 22.

The photo shows a newborn who was wrapped in a blanket and left on the doorstep of a private home that morning, as reported by The Arizona Republic. Fire and medical personnel treated the child, who was transported to the hospital in stable condition.

Fact check: Image shows baby kidnapped in Philippines in 2016, not any recent US incident

Officer Omar Cervantes, a spokesperson for the Hot Springs Police Department, told USA TODAY in a July 29 email the department hadn't had any recent reports of a missing or abandoned infant.

Ryan Moore, spokesperson for the Hattiesburg Police Department, and Capt. Craig Barnhart of the Lewisville Police Department also said there were no reports of similar incidents in their respective areas.

"This appears to be a social media hoax," Barnhart said.

USA TODAY found no credible reports from law enforcement or news organizations that an abandoned baby was found in any of the other places mentioned in the Facebook posts.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim an abandoned newborn baby was found in Hot Springs, Arkansas. USA TODAY found no recent reports of such a discovery there, or any of the other places mentioned in various Facebook posts. The baby shown in the image was abandoned in Mesa, Arizona, on July 22.

Our fact-check sources:

  • Craig Barnhart, July 30, Email exchange with USA TODAY

  • Omar Cervantes, July 29, Email exchange with USA TODAY

  • Ryan Moore, July 29, Email exchange with USA TODAY

  • Mesa Police Department, July 22, Facebook post

  • The Arizona Republic, July 22, Newborn left on Mesa resident's doorstep

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Abandoned infant left on Phoenix-area doorstep