Baby girl turned over in Richland County under state’s infant abandonment law

A baby girl was surrendered in Richland County on Saturday under a state law intended to prevent dangerous abandonments, officials said.

The infant is the fourth to be surrendered in the state under Daniel’s Law this year, according to a news release Tuesday from the state Department of Social Services.

The Indian American girl weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 19.5 inches long when she was born, the release said. The baby was born May 7, 2025.

Prisma Health Children’s Hospital-Midlands in Richland County accepted the baby. The girl is now in the custody of the Richland County Department of Social Services.

The baby was surrendered under Daniel’s Law, the Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, which allows parents to surrender a baby 60 days old or younger to a hospital, fire station, police station or staffed place of worship.

In 2024, a total of five babies were surrendered, state records show.

Hearings for permanency planning and termination of parental rights are scheduled for Aug. 3.