Abandoned Newborn's Blanket Offers Investigators New Lead

A farm worker found the baby in the back of his pickup truck Monday morning. Authorities said the infant was no more than 6 hours old.

Investigators dusted the truck for fingerprints in hopes of finding the mother, who they think may have delivered the child outside a medical setting and could be in need of medical assistance. They want to help her get the medical attention she may need.

Nash County Sheriff Dick Jenkins said the best lead comes from the baby's green blanket, which is sold only in K-mart stores -- only one of which is in the Nash County area.

Surveillance video at the K-mart shows three women buying a similar blanket the day before the baby was found -- and the only one purchased from the store in the last three weeks.

Jenkins said the video shows the women in the aisle and again at the register, paying with a $100 bill, but stressed the women are not considered suspects. Investigators, however, do want to talk with them.

"The reason we're trying to find out who this was is just to eliminate them," he said. "If they do know anything, certainly we'd like to know that, too, but right now we would just like to talk to those people."

Jenkins said that if the women have nothing to do with the abandoned infant, hearing from them would help deputies move on to the next lead.

Jenkins said he still couldn't say whether the baby's mother will face charges. He did say, however, that the baby is doing fine and was just released from the hospital.

"They've already got a foster home for him at this time, and the doctors advise the child is in perfect health, everything looks good," he said.

Nash County investigators ask that anyone who may recognize the women from the video to contact the Nash County Sheriff's Office at

(252) 459-1556

.