Jarvis Sims, 42, and Christina Thurman, 33, were arrested on Christmas Day after they abandoned their baby in the middle of the road in Denver, Colorado, wearing only a diaper and still in their car seat
A Colorado couple were arrested on Christmas Day after allegedly abandoning their newborn baby in the middle of a busy road, with the child only wearing a nappy and left in their car seat. Jarvis Sims, 42, and Christina Thurman, 33, were both apprehended on Wednesday evening and each charged with one count of felony child abuse, according to law enforcement.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call around 9:30am on Christmas Day reporting an unattended infant on a road median in Denver, still in their car seat, as per a news release from the sheriff’s office. The child was found by deputies wearing only a nappy.
The individual who made the 911 call remained at the scene to ensure the baby’s safety before alerting the police. It comes as a couple who raped their sons were jailed for 100 years, read the full story here.
Deputies searched the area where the child was abandoned, hoping to find surveillance cameras that might have captured who left the child in the middle of the road or to help locate any witnesses to the abandonment.
Before the parents were identified, the sheriff’s office posted photos of the car seat on Facebook. A small sign on the car seat read “Display only. Not intended for sale,” reports the Mirror US.
Prior to the arrest of the child’s parents, a press release stated: “We are hoping someone recognises the car seat or knows something about the baby or family so he can be united with his loved ones and the person who abandoned him can be brought to justice.”
At approximately 4:45pm on Monday, the police issued an update announcing they had “been in contact with family members of the infant” and that the department would “pursue criminal charges if deemed appropriate”.
As the investigation continued, the authorities added they were still examining the circumstances surrounding the abandonment. Just before 9pm, the sheriff’s office released another update stating that they had located the infant’s parents and that both had been arrested on child abuse charges.
The update expressed gratitude to the community, who “quickly sprang into action, spread the word, and assisted with sharing the information about this incident.”
Following the discovery, the child was taken to Children’s Hospital Colorado “as a precaution,” according to the authorities, and no injuries were reported. During a court appearance on Friday, Adams County Judge Jacque Lyn Russell told Thurman that she posed “both physical and emotional danger” to her son, concluding that she is “a danger to your son,” as reported by Denver CBS affiliate KCNC.
The outlet also revealed Thurman and Sims were having a row over Thurman’s boozing when Sims left the baby on the median. Thurman allegedly told the coppers that she rang her stepdad for a lift instead of going back to fetch her son.
Both suspects are due in court on Monday and are each being held on a $50,000 bond.