Horry County brothers recall finding newborn in trash bin

The man who pulled an abandoned newborn baby from a trash bin Thursday said he’ll never forget that day.

“I didn’t sleep last night,” Austin Detray, 19, said.

“We always see that sort of stuff on TV, but you never expect it to happen to you in real life,” said his sister, Madison Price, 12.

Detray found the baby girl in their neighborhood dumpster when he was taking out the trash. He said he heard a small sound but his brother – 13-year-old Raymond Price – thought it was just a cat.

Detray thought otherwise.

“After a few cries I knew it was a baby,” he said. “I got into the dumpster and starting looking around, moving bags, and that’s when I saw her.”

The baby’s face was pressed against a garbage bag and covered in blood, mucus and trash, Detray said. He told his brother to get help and carried the baby – umbilical cord still attached – to safety.

“It’s extremely fortunate she was found. The baby was literally in trash bags in a dumpster. It’s a miracle she was able to breathe long enough to be found,” said Horry County police, Lt. Raul Denis. “It was a blessing the kids were throwing away trash and cared enough to rescue her.”

Some people are calling Detray a hero for saving the newborn girl, but Detray said he just wanted to do the right thing.

“It feels good to know I did what I did, because it was the right thing to do,” he said. “I don’t want to be called a hero because I didn’t want this to happen in the first place.”

The baby is in the custody of S.C. Department of Social Services and will remain there, Denis said. “The baby is fine and healthy.”

The mother of the baby surrendered to police Thursday night after she recognized herself in photos released by Horry County police, Denis said Friday morning. It was unclear how detectives uncovered the photos.

The woman remained hospitalized Friday pending formal charges against her for leaving the baby in a dumpster in Socastee, he said. She will be charged once doctors release her from the hospital. Denis said he was not sure what charges she will face.

“As soon as that’s done I’ll be able to say, this is her charges and this is her identity,” Denis said.

As news of the infant’s discovery spread, so did calls to the S.C. Department of Social Services. The department released a statement Friday that it is working with local law enforcement and the family to determine an “appropriate placement for the child.”

“Moving forward, DSS will continues to assess the safety and well-being of the child and the family and provide services as necessary,” said Marilyn M. Matheus, manager of public information.

In South Carolina, Daniel’s Law, allows someone to turn in an newborn baby less than 30 days old to a police or fire station or hospital without prosecution or questions, Denis said.

This is the first case of an abandoned newborn in Horry County since Baby Boy Horry was found dead in a bag by utility workers on Dec. 4, 2008 along S.C. 544, Denis said. That case was the first of its kind in the area, and it remains under investigation.

In the most recent discovery, police were called about 2:30 p.m. Thursday to the 500 block of Fairway Village Drive after the brothers found the 8-pound, 6-ounce infant, Denis said.

Terry Turner, who has lived in the Fairway neighborhood off and on since 1989, said he was surprised when he found out about the baby.

“It’s kind of weird to see your dumpster on TV,” he said.

Turner said the mother lives in the neighborhood, which is adjacent to the Island Green Golf Course.

Detray and his siblings, along with their mother, brought the baby a bucket of clothes and socks after the incident.

“We wanted her to have some things, since she didn’t have anyone to care about her,” Madison Price said.

The mother does have another child, but details about that child were not immediately available Friday. Detray and Price said they hope hospital officials approve a visit with the baby before she’s released.

“We just want to see her,” Raymond Price said.

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 10:25 PM with the headline "Horry County brothers recall finding newborn in trash bin."