Sarah M. Christianson allegedly left the baby girl at Steel Lake Church in Federal Way, Wash., just hours after giving birth to her on Sept. 28. Wrapped in a beach towel, the baby spent nearly six hours alone in 49-degree temperatures before she was discovered by a church member and taken by emergency officials to a hospital in nearby Tacoma, Wash.
Christianson was charged with third-degree abandonment of a dependent person, a gross misdemeanor that could bring up to a year in jail. However, prosecutors said they would not seek incarceration if Christianson is found guilty.
King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said his office would instead seek a sentence that includes treatment and community supervision.
“I can appreciate that the decision to abandon the newborn was the product of confusion, fear, and panic, but it also put the child’s life in great danger,” Satterberg said in a press release. “This misdemeanor charge will ensure that the defendant recognizes the recklessness of her actions and is also able to get the supervision, treatment, and support she needs in her life.”
Christianson left the baby at Steel Lake Church at 2:15 a.m. on Sept. 28, two hours after she gave birth alone outside of her apartment complex a third of a mile away, court documents state. She walked with the baby wrapped in the beach towel to the church where she left the newborn in front of the church’s glass entrance doors.
Steel Lake leaders could not be reached immediately for comment, but court papers said a member who arrived at the church around 7:30 a.m. discovered the newborn. The woman called for help and held the baby until firefighters arrived.
The baby girl had a slight case of hypothermia and was less than 12 hours old when treated by doctors, but recovered quickly, authorities said.
Christianson contacted police in Federal Way, which is located between Seattle and Tacoma, after video surveillance that recorded her outside the church was circulated in the local media. It was not immediately known if Christianson is a Presbyterian or a member of the congregation.
The baby, named Mariah Verle Stevens, has been placed in the care of her father’s family in Auburn, Wash., according to local media reports. The father, Clark Stevens, is a National Guardsman on the verge of being deployed to Iraq.
According to a statement of probable cause filed in court, Christianson told police that Stevens knew she was pregnant, but she told him she had an abortion and then hid the pregnancy by wearing baggy clothing. She told police she left the baby because she was not emotionally or financially ready for a child and thought the church was a legal “safe haven” to leave a baby anonymously, news agencies reported.
The Washington state Legislature passed a law in 2002 that allows someone to leave a newborn anonymously within 72 hours of birth at a hospital or fire station. The law does not allow abandonment of a newborn at locations where qualified personnel are not available.
Christianson remains out of custody on her personal recognizance. She is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 22 in Kent, Wash.
