The body of a newborn baby has been found in a “safe haven” box at a hospital in Idaho, prompting an investigation.

Officers responded to Grove Creek Medical Center in Blackfoot in eastern Idaho, where a dead newborn baby girl was recovered from a state “safe haven” box on Oct. 13, local station KTVB7 reported. Safe haven boxes allow parents or caretakers the ability to safely surrender an infant and remain anonymous, but only when the baby is unharmed.

The infant was removed from the bassinet by Grove Creek medical staff very soon after being placed there, but they quickly realized the baby had “passed away long before being placed in the baby box,” according to a Wednesday social media post. 

“We’re incredibly grateful for our dedicated team, who responded within moments to the Safe Haven Baby Box alarm and gave their all in a heartbreaking situation,” Grove Creek wrote in the post. “Though this infant was already deceased when abandoned, our staff showed deep compassion and commitment to care. Their actions mean everything to us, and we’re so proud of the way they honor every life they touch.”

USA TODAY reached out to Twin Falls and Blackfoot police for further comment but didn’t immediately get a response on Wednesday.

Founder of ‘safe haven’ boxes ‘sick to my stomach’

Monica Kelsey, who founded Safe Haven Baby Boxes and was herself abandoned as an infant in 1973, said that her organization is fully cooperating with the investigation as authorities investigate how the baby died.

“We are heartbroken,” Kelsey said in a Facebook post, adding that the baby may have been dead for days. “I’m just sick to my stomach … This baby was in this box for literally one minute.”

She added that “it’s been devastating all around.”

In the statement she emphasized that the instance was “an illegal, deadly abandonment” as the infant was placed in the box while wrapped in a blanket with the placenta still attached.

The organization said it aims to end infant abandonment and protect women in crisis with the safe haven boxes. According to the group, at least 52 infants were “lovingly surrendered” at baby box locations since 2017. However, the organization promises to work with law enforcement to seek justice for violations of Safe Haven Law and any illegal abandonments.

“As the only organization that provides an anonymous surrender option, we are on the front lines of educating the public on how this program works,” Kelsey said in a statement. “We will continue to educate citizens on the stark differences between illegal abandonment and legal, safe surrender of an unharmed newborn.”