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Police locate mother of newborn found by 9-year-old in backyard

LOWELL, Ind. — Police tell People they have located the mother of a newborn baby found in a Lowell, Indiana, backyard by a 9-year-old girl.

Elysia Laub was heading to her family's pool with her brother July 11 when she noticed something pink squirming in her yard. It turned out to be the newborn baby.

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The newborn was found wrapped in towel with the umbilical cord and placenta still attached.

"When I first saw her, I was like, 'Is this real? Is this real?' I kept seeing something moving, but I thought it was a doll," Elysia told the Chicago Tribune. "Of all the yards she could've ended up in, (the birth mother) had to know she'd be safe with us."

"I was on the porch talking to my sister when she ran up and said, 'Mom! I think there's something in the yard,'" mom Heidi Laub said. "I told my sister I had to check this out, and when I got there, I dropped the phone because I saw her little arms and legs moving."

Laub said the baby was sunburned and had maggots on her placenta and umbilical cord. She called 911 for help.

The baby was taken to a hospital and underwent emergency medical treatment.

Lowell, Indiana, Sheriff John Buncich confirmed to People that they have located the mother, who is a local teenager.

The Lake County Sheriff's Department would not provide any more details because the mother is underage.

The infant was transferred to a foster facility this week, and her case is now under further investigation by the Indiana Department of Child Services.