An Ohio couple is facing criminal charges after the woman was reportedly found unconscious outside with her newborn baby still attached to her.
On June 25, Westlake police and fire departments responded to a WestSpring Inn amid reports that Chanel Mueller, 42, was lying on the grass. Mueller’s baby was still attached to her via an umbilical cord — which a bystander cut after alerting hotel staff and instructing them to call 911, according to WKYC.
“The baby was crying laying face down in the grass,” police said.
An investigation determined Mueller was staying at the hotel with John Bratsch, 35. Bratsch, who identified himself as the baby’s father, allegedly told police that he was a drug user and that the baby was born “suddenly.”
“He was cleaning up the room and could not explain why the mom walked out into the nearby lawn with the newborn,” according to police.
According to WJBF, the woman who found Mueller wrapped her baby in a blanket before police arrived. It is unclear whether Mueller lost consciousness due to blood loss or drug use.
Mueller and Bratsch are charged with child endangerment. WKYC reported that Bratsch had a felony parole violation and an active warrant in Westlake for drug and traffic charges.
