Eight-month-old baby boy is found alive after spending nearly 24 hours lost alone in Louisiana field

Officials say finding the infant unhurt and unscathed was nothing short of a ‘miracle’

Baton Rouge police officers with an eight-month-old infant who had gone missing overnight (Baton Rouge Police Department / Facebook)

An eight-month-old infant abandoned overnight in a field in Louisiana has been found in what officials dubbed a “miracle” discovery.

The infant, named Niguel Jackson, was found “alive and healthy” in a field along Plank Road on 16 March after hours of search by law-enforcement authorities.

Officials said that finding Niguel unhurt and unscathed was nothing short of a “miracle”.

In a statement, Baton Rouge Police Department said: “Today, Baton Rouge Police Officers in collaboration with the Baton Rouge Fire Department, Parish Search and Rescue, East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office, Emergency Medical Services, Acadian Ambulance and hospital staff performed search and rescue procedures to locate an 8-month old infant.”

They added that the infant was “taken to a local hospital for precautionary medical treatment. It’s believed that the mother suffered apparent medical issues. No charges are pending at this point in time. This investigation remains ongoing.”

The infant had gone missing from the Hooper Road area, local news reported.

A spokesperson for the Baton Rouge fire department said the infant did not have any signs of trauma and was, at the time, “being evaluated at an area hospital.”

WAFB reported that the mother of the baby assisted first responders in the search for the eight-month-old infant.

Family members had told investigators that the mother had the baby with her when she had left her home for some medical treatment.

The mother had approached a fire station at around 6pm on 15 March, according to a report.

She was then transported to hospital. The morning after, when the mother was being taken to another medical facility, she mentioned the child to officials.

After talking to the family members, officials then launched a massive search that involved firefighters from multiple cities, police officers a helicopter and at least one police dog.

Curt Monte, who is with the Baton Rouge fire department, told news media that “we were able to bring the mother to the scene, city police took the mother, the mother showed them an area on plank road near a church.”

Officials said Niguel was found near the Saintsville Church of God in Christ on Plank Road — a religious centre in Baton Rouge.

One of the Niguel’s grandparents told local media that the baby was “so amazing... so sweet and kind” amid a report by The Advocate that quoted Mike Chustz, with the East Baton Rouge Emergency Medical Services, as saying he “didn’t even cry during the rescue”.

“The medics jumped on him and started treating him right away and... I think he’s gonna be fine. You know, it’s still in a dangerous area but still think that it’s just a miracle basically to see the condition he was in. I did not expect that at all,” Mr Chustz told the legal news portal.

“The timing didn’t give us a lot of hope but the baby was tough,” he added.