Courier discovers newborn girl in parcel sent to welfare house

A woman has been held by police on suspicion of abandoning her child by using a courier service to send the newborn to a local children's home, according to police in Fuzhou, Fujian province.

The woman, identified by police only as Luo, is said to have packed up her newborn baby girl in plastic bags, put it in a cloth bag, and called a delivery service on Wednesday, saying she wanted to send something to the Fuzhou children's home.

When the courier requested to see what was inside the parcel, she refused to open the package for inspection.

On his way, the courier heard a crying sound from the bag, which he had hung from his handlebars, and opened it to find a baby with her umbilical cord still attached.

The courier called police for help, and passers-by who saw him standing with a baby offered assistance. Pictures posted online showed the baby girl being held in a woman's arms, with her lips moistened by a cotton swab to protect her from sunstroke in the 37 C heat.

The baby was soon sent to the Jin'an district hospital, where she had her cord cut and went through health checkups. Doctors said the baby is out of danger and her vital signs remain stable. She has been transferred to the pediatrics department.

Local residents have sent diapers and baby formula to the hospital.

Police said the 24-year-old woman is from Sichuan province, and the baby's father is unknown.

Luo was quoted by fjdaily.com, the news portal by Fujian Daily, saying that she did so because she thought she couldn't raise the child on her own and that it could get better care at a welfare house.

She has lost contact with the baby's father and her family knew nothing about it, she said.

The story made headlines nationwide, with many netizens criticizing the young woman for putting the baby through such an ordeal, arguing that the baby could have died on such a hot day while being wrapped in several layers of plastic.

Wu Ming'an, an associate professor of criminal law at China University of Political Science and Law, said that the woman is alleged to have violated the criminal law.

"She is suspected of infringing on the baby's personal rights, because the baby's life was threatened after being wrapped up," Wu said.

Cheng Si contributed to this story.