Sandra McClary, Mother Of Abandoned Baby Girl Found On Side Of The Road, Arrested, Charged With Neglect

The story of the baby girl found abandoned on the side of a Maryland road on Saturday quickly went viral. On Sunday, after allegedly seeing pictures of the baby on social media, 26-year-old Sandra McClary called the Anne Arundel County Police Department Communications Section on Sunday, claiming to be the mother of the abandoned baby girl, the police department said on their Facebook page.

During her telephone discussion with police officers, McClary claimed the baby’s father was supposed to have her, but he didn’t, and that neither of them knew where the child was.

“She provided a general description that matched that of the recovered infant. The mother was transported to Eastern District where she positively identified her child. Additional measures were taken to validate her claims that she was in fact the mother of the child. This involved partnering with the Department of Social Services,” the police department said on their Facebook page.

The Facebook post goes on to say that during the investigation, police acquired the partial tag of a car seen in the area where the abandoned baby was recovered, and later found that a vehicle registered to Sandra McClary matched the partial tag found by police. After questioning her, officers discovered that she was, in fact, in the area where the baby was abandoned, and that she had removed the child from her car, and left her on the side of the road. Scuff marks on the car seat initially led officers to believe the baby had either fallen from the top of a moving vehicle, or had been tossed out of one.

No motive has been established as of yet.

“After sharing the results of the investigation with the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office, Sandra Clara McClary was charged with child neglect and reckless endangerment,” police officials say.

McClary is being held Anne Arundel County Detention Center on a $500,000 bail. No word on whether the baby’s father has been contacted, or if he was involved or will be charged in the case of his abandoned daughter.

Sandra McClary has confirmed that the abandoned baby — originally thought to be between two and three-months-old — is actually six-weeks-old. After she was found, the infant was taken to a local hospital by EMS, and was treated for dehydration. She is in “good condition,” according to police officials, and is currently in the custody of the Department of Child Protective Services.

[Image Credit: Anne Arundel County Police Department / Facebook]