A 16-year-old Chicago girl gave birth and left the baby in an alley before he was brought to a firehouse 10 hours later

Teen parents face attempted murder charges after leaving baby in a Chicago alley

Red and blue lights of police car in night time, crime scene. Night patrolling the city. Abstract blurry image. policelight policelights / Getty Images
Red and blue lights of police car in night time, crime scene. Night patrolling the city. Abstract blurry image. policelight policelights / Getty Images

CHICAGO - A 16-year-old girl gave birth to a boy nearly 10 hours before the infant was finally brought to a firehouse on the Northwest Side for medical attention this week, according to a timeline presented in court Friday.

The baby's father, a 17-year-old boy, was with the girl when she gave birth around 6 a.m. Tuesday, a prosecutor said as both teens appeared in Juvenile Court on attempted first-degree murder charges. They wrapped the baby in a towel and left him in an alley behind the girl's home in the 3500 block of North Pulaski Road.

A witness reported to police that she saw a lot of blood in an apartment building where the teens had been, and saw the boy and the girl cleaning it up, according to prosecutors.

About seven hours later, around 1 p.m., the girl entered Community First Medical Center, about 2 1/2 miles west of her home, and said she had a miscarriage, sources said. It was another three to four hours before the boy's mother, Karla Antimo, walked into a fire station carrying a canvas shopping bag with the baby inside.

Antimo, 37, told firefighters she had found the baby around the corner, when she actually had been contacted by her son for help, police said. It was not known when Antimo got the call about the baby. She faces felony counts of disorderly conduct and filing a false police report.

The baby was not moving when brought to the fire station, and the crew immediately began working on him while an ambulance was called, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. By the time the baby was taken to Norwegian American Hospital, he could not breathe on his own, Langford said.

Doctors and nurses worked on him for more than half an hour as a crowd gathered around his bed in the emergency room, praying and calling out to the little boy. Finally his vital signs improved and he was transferred to Lurie Children's Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition. Officials said a feeding tube has been removed, but doctors are worried he may have suffered brain damage because he was without oxygen for an extended time.

During the court hearings Friday, reporters were kept out of most of the hearing for the girl. Her mother and another relative appeared in court with the girl, who wore blue jogging pants and a brown sweatshirt. Her long hair covered her sweatshirt. She was quiet and looked tired as she was released to the custody of her mother.

The girl hadn't told anyone she was pregnant, her attorney Rajeev Bajaj later told reporters. He described the girl as an honors student who plays soccer and hadn't had any previous run-ins with police.

"She's shocked by this whole process," Bajaj said. "She's a very young girl. She's very scared at this time."

Bajaj said he believes she should not face criminal charges because of "steps" that were taken after she gave birth, but he would not go into detail. "I think we've heard one side of the story," he said. "(When) the full side comes out, it's going to be a big contrast to what we've heard so far."

The boy, also wearing blue jogging pants and a brown sweatshirt, did not say anything during his brief hearing.

Cook County Judge Stuart Lubin ordered the boy released to his father. The boy was ordered to stay away from the hospital where the infant remains, and he is not allowed to make contact with the witness who saw him cleaning up the blood.

Both teens are to return to Juvenile Court on June 14.

The baby remains in state protective custody, officials said. For now, he has been given the name Patrick Casey Doe: Patrick for a paramedic who helped treat the baby and Casey for a police officer who cleared traffic for the ambulance to Norwegian American Hospital.

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