Woman, 41, gives birth on sidewalk, drags baby by umbilical cord, Hawaii police say

A woman in Hawaii was found dragging a newborn baby by the child's umbilical cord after giving birth last week on a sidewalk, police said.

Police and firefighters on the state's main island responded after 5 p.m. Jan. 16 to reports that a homeless woman had delivered a baby outside in downtown Hilo. The baby's umbilical cord was still attached when medics responded to the scene and located the 41-year-old mother, the Hawaii Police Department said in a press release.

The medics cut the cord and began providing medical attention to the baby girl, who was still breathing but was not moving, police said. The newborn was then taken via ambulance to the Hilo Medical Center Emergency Room.

After the baby was separated from her mother, the woman attempted to leave the area before police reported taking her into custody and rushing her for treatment at the same emergency room as her child.

The infant was expected to survive after she was provided pediatric care at the hospital and was later deemed to be in "good condition," police said. The girl is now with the state's Child Welfare Services, police said.

No reports of charges filed against woman

The mother required further treatment and observation at the hospital after she was released from police custody pending further investigation, according to the department. A police detective did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's message Wednesday seeking an update on whether any charges have been filed against the woman.

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USA TODAY is not identifying the woman because she has not been charged with a crime and to protect the identity of her child.

The woman's pregnancy was estimated by doctors to be “somewhere in the ballpark of 38 weeks," police Capt. Rio Amon-Wilkins told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. The woman had been living for years in the downtown area, where she was known to shout at passing cars and pedestrians, the outlet reported.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]