Police Officer and Wife Adopt Baby Who Was Dropped off at Baby Box When She Was a Day Old

"Myah was truly an answer to our prayer and hopefully we were the answer to the prayer of her mommy as well," her new mom shared.

Cover Image Source: YouTube | WLKY News Louisville

By Shruti Menon

November 28, 2022

Posted November 28, 2022

A northern Indiana police officer and his wife opened their home to an infant months after the child was dropped off at a baby box in Lake County. Bruce Faltynski, a Mishawaka police officer, and his wife Shelby Faltynski are now parents to the baby girl who was barely a day old when she was surrendered.

A person can give up their baby "without fear of arrest or prosecution" at limited locations, including hospitals, according to the Indiana Safe Haven Law. In 2018, the state allowed for fire stations with 24/7 emergency medical service (EMS) staffing to house baby boxes where infants can be safely surrendered.

In a viral TikTok, Safe Haven Baby Box founder Monica Kelsey demonstrated how the boxes work and how a parent can drop an infant off using a baby box. "If a parent walks up to one of our Safe Haven baby boxes, and they need to utilize this resource that we've made available to them, all they have to do is walk up to the baby box, open the door, take the orange bag, place their newborn inside, shut the door, and walk away," she says in the video.

The mission of Safe Haven Baby Boxes is to prevent illegal abandonment of newborns and provide support for mothers in crisis. According to their website, they have a 24-hour hotline for mothers in need and offer the Safe Haven Baby Boxes as a last resort option for women who want to maintain complete anonymity.

As for the Faltynskis, they adopted their daughter Myah months after she was surrendered. "It just makes me think moms know that they have an option," Shelby told WLKY. "Myah was truly an answer to our prayer and hopefully we were the answer to the prayer of her mommy as well."

The little girl had to be admitted to the NICU at a local hospital where doctors determined the infant had a stroke, WNDU reported. "The doctor thought maybe less than 24 hours old when she was initially surrendered in the safe haven box in Lake County," Shelby recalled. "We are so grateful for Myah's birth mom, she made a really courageous decision." The sweet baby is currently doing well and is part of the Faltynski family and even has a sister: 8-year-old Kaia, who was also adopted by the couple. "I think we just feel overwhelmed with gratitude," the Faltynskis said, according to AP. "I think that is how, yeah it has been a really long wait and just a journey of yeah, just surrendering our plans."

CONGRATS TO THE NEW LITTLE FAMILY: Mishawaka Police Officer Bruce Faltynski and his wife, Shelby, were part of those families in court.https://t.co/RoeWUuWk7T pic.twitter.com/m09Q4cw2vZ
— KWTX News 10 (@kwtx) November 21, 2022