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

March 31, 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 Friday, March 27, 2026.

The white baby girl was born on March 22, 2026, at a local hotel, and weighed 5 pounds, 4 ounces, and was 17.3 inches long at the time of birth. After birth, the infant was transported by EMS to Lexington Medical Center and later transferred to Prisma Health Richland for additional medical care.

The infant was safely surrendered at the Prisma Health Richland Hospital in Richland County. Under the Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, Richland County DSS took custody of the infant. A medical evaluation was completed, and the infant will remain in the hospital to receive additional medical care.

A Permanency Planning Hearing and Termination of Parental Rights Hearing will be held on May 20, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. at the Richland County Family Court, located at 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 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.

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