Baby Girl Placed in a Plastic Bag and Abandoned in the Woods Found Alive – Thousands Want to Adopt Her

There are several thousand children in foster care or waiting to be adopted. As a result, few are well known in the public eye. However, one case, Baby India, made headlines everywhere. Her circumstances were unusual as she was found tied up in a plastic bag, then thousands lined up to adopt her. Now, four years later, there’s a new development in the case, bringing some closure for many including officials who’ve worked tirelessly to solve the case.

Discovering Baby India

A man and his daughters were hanging out at home, when something unusual happened. The girls could hear crying from their home and convinced their father to go out to the woods and check. “My kids said, ‘That’s a baby,’ and I said, ‘That’s an animal,‘” the man explained. He called the authorities, and they came to examine the bag.

They discovered something unexpected, a sweet baby girl, covered in blood with her umbilical cord still attached. With no way to identify her, authorities named her Baby India. “Look at you sweetheart. I’m so sorry,” said an officer who helped examine the infant. She wrapped her tiny hand around an officer’s fingers and made direct eye contact. A good sign that she’s alert and, hopefully, healthy. They carefully evaluated her for any obvious injuries then sent her to a nearby hospital. Luckily Baby India was in good health and had a chance at a normal life.

Read: Missing baby found alive more than 40 years after parents found killed in woods

Looking After Baby India

Baby India was then sent to a “wonderful” protective home, according to Tom Rawlings. Rawlings is the director the state Division of Family and Children Services and was part of finding Baby India a safe place to go. “She’s gaining weight and smiling a lot. She’s an easy baby who loves to be held and sung to, and she’s overall thriving now.” Rawling said, concluding, “Even a person born into a situation of tragedy can have a long and fulfilling life, and that’s what we hope for this child.”

Upon hearing the news of Baby India, thousands of people worldwide lined up to adopt her. “It’s amazing the number of people who are looking to take on a new life into their families,” said County Sheriff Ron Freeman, “and we got somebody who tried to throw one away.”

Generally, police and government officials don’t release footage of a tragedy unless it’s something that’s important for the public to be aware of. In the Baby India case, they felt that sharing the video would help the public aid officials in finding out any information possible. Thus, helping them to solve the Baby India Case.

Fast Forward

It’s also been disclosed that Baby India was found just before the area was hit by severe thunderstorms. “Back then I called it divine intervention and I truly believe that, still today,” Freeman reminisced. “If you look at everything that had to happen for this little girl to survive, for alert people to hear a sound in the woods that they thought was a wild animal, but two teenage girls who couldn’t let it go because they thought it sounded like a baby crying.”

Baby India Case Updates

Police identified Baby India’s biological mother earlier this year. In May of 2023, they disclosed the woman in question is a Karima Jiwani aged 40. She was charged with a number of counts including, “criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated assault, reckless abandonment, and cruelty to children in the first degree.” After thousands of hours of investigation, in a search that spanned the Northeast to the Midwest, Deputy Terry Roper, an officer present during Baby India’s rescue, made the arrest. Amazingly, a break in the case was made when the sheriff’s office identified the infant’s biological father. Due to, “pending prosecution” other details about the case including Jiwani’s motive, have not been released at this time.

Allegedly, Jiwani has several children ranging in age from grade school all the way until almost adulthood. Furthermore, she also appears to have a history of concealed pregnancies or surprise births. Additionally, no details or updates were given regarding Baby India or her whereabouts. However, we do know that she is, “happy, healthy and in a safe place” according to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s office, post Jiwani’s arrest.

Support for Crisis

It’s inexcusable to handle things the way Baby India’s biological mother did. However, most of the time when babies are discarded in an unfortunate manner, it’s usually because the birth mom was feeling desperate, afraid, hopeless, or unsafe. Luckily, there are resources in nearly every state so that women in need can safely surrender their children. Some examples include local hospitals, fire departments, or police stations. Furthermore, there is a 24/7 helpline for mothers in crisis.

Keep Reading: Police Officer Adopts Baby Found in Safe Haven Baby Box