Baby left in Walmart bag behind Maries County shed

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A teen mother left an infant in a Walmart bag behind a shed in Maries County, the sheriff said Friday.

Sheriff Chris Heitman shared the information in a post on his Facebook page. The post did not specify when or where the baby was found but said the infant was alive.

Heitman labeled the incident a "severe case of child abuse" in which a 17-year-old girl who recently gave birth abandoned the baby. A family member found the baby and called EMS, the sheriff wrote.

Heitman wrote in response to emailed questions that the baby was found at about 11 a.m. Friday and had been there for about two hours. He wrote that he didn't know the child's condition mid-Friday afternoon. Heitman wrote that the baby was "hours old."

Other information was not immediately available. Heitman wrote that he would provide updates.

Check back for more on this developing story.