Lakewood police need help identifying found infant

UPDATE (1:05 p.m.): Lakewood police have found the parents of an infant found abandoned early Monday, according to a department spokesman.

The pair have been detained and detectives are interviewing them, spokesman Chris Lawler said Monday afternoon.

Police do not yet know the circumstances that led to the child’s abandonment, he said, but police hope that the interviews can lead to an explanation.

ORIGINAL POST: A Lakewood resident walking outside early Monday found an abandoned infant whose parents were nowhere to be found, according to police.

The person was in the 8500 block of John Dower Road Southeast about 1:30 a.m. and heard what sounded like an animal in distress, police spokesman Chris Lawler said in a news release.

The person turned on a cellphone flashlight and saw a boy, about 3 months old, in the grass, and called 911, Lawler said.

West Pierce Fire & Rescue found the boy in good health though a little cold. He was taken to an area hospital before being put in protective custody.

Police searched the area but did not find the child’s parents, Lawler said.

Anyone with information about the boy’s identity or parents is asked to call Lakewood police at 253-830-5000 or South Sound 911 dispatch at 253-798-4721.

This story was originally published April 3, 2017 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Lakewood police need help identifying found infant."