First Wisconsin Baby Surrendered in Safe Haven Box

For the first time in Wisconsin history, a newborn was safely and legally surrendered in a Safe Haven Baby Box at Racine Fire Station 4 on Oct. 16, 2025. The infant was found in good health, immediately cared for by on‑duty firefighters and EMS, taken to Ascension All Saints Hospital for evaluation, and is now in the custody of Racine County Child Protective Services as officials begin the process to find a permanent adoptive home. The temperature‑controlled box, installed at the station in December 2024, is monitored 24/7 and triggers a silent alarm when a baby is placed inside, enabling anonymous surrender under a 2023 Wisconsin law that permits such devices at staffed hospitals, fire stations or law‑enforcement buildings. Racine’s box is one of six or seven in Wisconsin and part of a national network of several hundred Safe Haven Baby Boxes that advocates say have saved dozens of infants and provide an option for parents in crisis. Safe Haven Baby Boxes founder Monica Kelsey said the decision was “not abandonment—it was an act of love,” underscoring the program’s purpose to keep babies safe when parents feel they have no other option.