Wichita police investigating after infant found in I-135 canal

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Wichita Police Department placed an 11-month-old girl into police protective custody after she was found in the canal near Interstate 135.

A news release from the WPD said around 1:33 p.m. on Tuesday, officers were dispatched to conduct a welfare check in the area of I-135 and Pawnee after receiving a report of a child in the canal.

Officers arrived on scene and, with the help of the Wichita Fire Department, located the child in the canal.

The child was taken to a local hospital for precautionary medical evaluation. An investigation is ongoing. Police said a man named Vincent James Perez may have information pertinent to the investigation.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is encouraged to call 911 or contact detectives at 316-268-4407 . If you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 267-2111 .

If you or someone you know has a newborn and is in a desperate situation, the Kansas Safe Haven Law allows “an infant’s parent or other person having lawful custody of an infant who is 60 days old or younger and who has not suffered bodily harm may surrender physical custody of the infant to either … An employee who is on duty at a police station, sheriff’s office, law enforcement center, fire station, city or county health department or medical care facility.”

There are a few Safe Haven Baby Boxes available in Kansas. There is also a crisis line open for calls and text messages at 1-866-99BABY1.

For more resources, click here.

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