An east London, Ontario woman got an unexpected surprise when she opened her door Wednesday afternoon—not to the lunch she was expecting, but to two police officers standing beside a newborn baby.
Bria Vanier, 38, said she immediately sensed something unusual when a loud knock rattled her Sterling Street home, northeast of Oxford and Adelaide streets.
“I was, like, that’s a cop knock,” Vanier recalled in an interview outside her home.
When she opened the door, she found two officers with a newborn boy wrapped in a blanket on her porch. The officers, unsure how to handle the baby, handed him to Vanier.
“They said they didn’t know how to pick up a baby. . . . So I held the baby until the ambulance got here. I immediately attached to it,” she said. “I brought him inside to warm him up. . . . He still had after-birth on him.”
Alongside the baby, Vanier found a note explaining he had been born the day before and asking for him to be placed in a good home.
“It was pretty crazy. I was, like, this happens?” she said.
Police were called to the scene around 1:30 p.m. after a citizen discovered the baby outside the home. Paramedics quickly transported the newborn to hospital, where he remained in good condition as of Thursday.
“The infant is in good health,” London police Insp. Sean Travis confirmed. “It’s been transported to hospital and cared for.”
The Children’s Aid Society was notified, and while a criminal investigation remains open, police emphasized that their immediate concern was locating the mother and ensuring her health and safety.
“Our primary point of concern right now is the health and welfare of the mother and to make sure she had medical treatment,” Travis said.
Any criminal charges, he noted, would only be considered after the investigation concludes.
Incidents involving abandoned infants are rare in London, Travis added, and are emotionally challenging for all involved.
“It is certainly not something that happens often. But it has happened in the past at different times,” he said. “It’s difficult for police officers to be involved in, but more importantly we recognize how difficult it must be for both the community and the parents of these children.”
It’s unclear how long the baby had been left unattended, but Vanier believes the newborn had only been on the porch for a few minutes before police arrived.
On Friday, London police announced they had located the baby’s mother and confirmed that there was no longer any concern for her wellbeing.
“We would like to thank the public for their compassion and engagement in this situation. Thankfully, everyone is safe,” said Detective Inspector Sean Travis of the London Police Service Investigative Services Branch. “As the investigation progresses, we will be limited in what information can be provided to respect the privacy of everyone involved.”
For now, police say the baby remains safe and in care, while authorities continue to support everyone affected by the emotional and rare situation.
