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Mother Who Abandoned Newborn Told 911 She Felt 'Overwhelmed'

BELTSVILLE, Md. (WJZ) -- A 911 caller reporting an abandoned baby leads police on a search for the mother. But there's a shocking new twist in the story.

Gigi Barnett explains.

Khiana Jackson says she made a surprising discovery outside her Prince George's County home on Wednesday morning. Mere feet from her back door was a baby girl, abandoned and alone.

"I cleaned her off, I got her a onesie, a diaper," said Jackson.

That's when Jackson says she rushed to the phone, called 911 and reported the abandoned newborn.

"I don't know the circumstances. I don't know how the baby was conceived or what may have taken place. Maybe she couldn't afford her or couldn't take care of her and thought I could," she said.

But now detectives say that mother she's talking about--is Jackson.

"She admitted today that actually she is, in fact, the birth mother of that child," said Lt. William Alexander, Prince George's County Police Department.

Detectives say they did receive a 911 call Wednesday morning, but wouldn't reveal who the caller was. The woman on the other line told them that she had given birth inside her home that morning and felt "overwhelmed."

Now in hindsight, Jackson's neighbors say they spotted the mother of five walking out of her house that morning with a small bundle.

"It was wrapped up. When she came out, she was carrying the baby around. I thought there was a fire initially because the fire department showed up," one neighbor said.

Police say the baby girl is in good condition.

"At this time we believe that there was no time where the child was in danger. Our position here is not to vilify this woman. We just couldn't be more happy that both she and the child are doing well," Alexander said.

At a hearing Friday, a judge said that Jackson can keep her older five children. But custody of the newborn is yet to be decided.

Child Protective Services is taking care of the baby girl.

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