CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY, Mo. (KFVS) - A baby surrendered to a Missouri Safe Haven Box earlier this year was the third newborn surrendered in a Missouri location since the state made it legal.

“Impact is if someone wants to surrender a baby, it’s a safe location to put it,” said Fruitland Fire Chief Rob Francis.

The Safe Haven Baby Box inside the Fruitland Fire Station is the first one in Cape Girardeau County. It’s a place where parents can surrender their child in an emergency. It’s a lifesaving option for parents in a crisis.

Chief Francis said it’s giving babies a chance to survive, “As we were told in our training, the parent that hands the child over is actually a hero. There’s no shame in this, you know, making a better life for a child.”

The Baby Box was paid for with a $12,000 do

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