Infant Safely Surrendered in Richland 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 Richland County Under Safe Haven Act

June 17, 2025- Officials with Prisma Health Children’s Hospital- Midlands in Richland County recently accepted an infant safely surrendered under Daniel’s Law, the state’s Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, on June 14, 2025.

The Asian Indian baby girl was born on May 7, 2025, and weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 19.5 inches long at the time of birth.

The infant was safely surrendered at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital- Midlands in Richland County. Under the Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, Richland County DSS took custody of the child, and the infant is being medically evaluated before being discharged to a licensed foster home. 

A Permanency Planning Hearing and Termination of Parental Rights Hearing will be held on August 4, 2025 at 9:30a.m. pm in the Richland County Family Court, 1701 Main Street, Columbia, S.C.  Persons who believe they have parental rights to this child are required to attend the hearing to assert those rights.

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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 fourth Daniel’s Law baby surrendered in South Carolina during the 2025 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.