PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A newborn baby girl found alive in a dumpster in suburban Boca Raton in May was back in her father's arms Wednesday night.
DNA results confirm Carlos Martins, the boyfriend of the woman accused of abandoning the child, is the girl's father.
On Wednesday, a judge ordered custody of the baby to be returned to Martins. His attorney tells WPTV Martins got his baby girl back from the Department of Children and Families on Wednesday night.
35-year-old Rafaelle Alessandra Carbalho Sousa faces attempted murder and child abuse charges and has pleaded not guilty.
PBSO detectives said Sousa admitted to delivering the baby, then placing the infant girl in a white plastic bag with household trash and putting her in a dumpster at an apartment complex near Boca Entrada Blvd. on May 8.
Sousa told detectives she went back to the dumpster twice to make sure the baby was dead, but didn't get close because there were people nearby, according to a probable cause affidavit.
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At a court hearing in May, a judge denied Sousa bond.
Under Florida's "Safe Haven" law, unwanted newborns can be dropped off anonymously at a hospital or fire station with no questions asked.
Fire Rescue will transport the child to the nearest hospital for medical care. Since the program’s inception in 2000, 18 newborns have been turned over in Palm Beach County.
Click here for more information about the "Safe Haven" program.
