Infant Safely Surrendered in Lexington County Under Safe Haven Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: DSS Office of Communications and External Affairs
803-898-7602
publicinfo@dss.sc.gov

Infant Safely Surrendered in Lexington County Under Safe Haven Act

May 22, 2026- Officials at Prisma Health Richland in Columbia recently accepted an infant safely surrendered under Daniel’s Law, the state’s Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.

The African American baby girl was born on May 18, 2026, and weighed 3 pounds, 8 ounces and was 16.5 inches long at the time of birth.

The infant was safely surrendered at the Prisma Health Richland Hospital in Richland County. Under the Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, Lexington County DSS took custody of the infant based on the mother residing in Lexington County. A medical evaluation was completed, and the infant will remain in the hospital to receive additional medical care. Once released from the hospital, the infant will be placed in a licensed DSS foster home.

A Permanency Planning Hearing and Termination of Parental Rights Hearing will be held on July 8th at 9:30 a.m. at the Lexington County Family Court, located at 205 East Main Street, Lexington, S.C. Persons who believe they have parental rights to this child are required to attend the hearing to assert those rights. 

# # #

Editor’s note: The Department of Social Services has made a dedicated page on the agency’s website regarding Daniel’s Law in South Carolina with current data. This is the sixth Daniel’s Law baby surrendered in South Carolina during the 2026 calendar year.

A safe abandonment such as this is a perfect time to remind the public that the SC Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act provides a safe, legal option to surrender an infant up to 60 days old. For more information about the Safe Haven Act, known as Daniel’s Law in South Carolina, please click here. For a listing of crisis pregnancy organizations, please see this brochure.

# # #