Deputies: Baby born during Irma found dead in mother’s car

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Authorities say a baby born premature in Florida during Hurricane Irma was later found dead in its mother’s car.

The Palm Beach Post reports the mother walked into a West Palm Beach hospital for treatment last Thursday. Hospital staff learned the woman had given birth Sept. 10, the day Irma made landfall in Florida. Deputies were sent to check the woman’s vehicle and found the dead infant.

It’s unclear whether the baby was born alive. It weighed about 3 pounds (1.3 kilograms) after 29 weeks of gestation. A full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks.

Officials weren’t naming the woman or where she was from.

Investigators were working to determine if criminal charges would be filed.

It wasn’t clear if the hurricane was a factor in the infant’s premature birth or death.

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Information from: The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post, http://www.pbpost.com