Mother of baby girl found on side of Maryland road arrested

The mother of a baby girl found apparently abandoned on the side of a Maryland road was arrested yesterday evening, accused of taking the infant out of her car and leaving her there. 

Sandra Clara McClary was charged with child neglect and reckless endangerment, Anne Arundel County police said in a statement this evening. 
The woman had called police after they had posted the baby's photo on social media, Lt. T.J. Smith of the Anne Arundel County Police said at a news conference earlier yesterday.

The woman, who was verified as the baby's mother, initially told investigators the little girl's father was supposed to have her, but neither of them knew where the child was, police said.

Investigators later determined that the mother had allegedly had the girl with her in a vehicle in Pasadena, but removed the child from the vehicle and left her on the side of the road, police said.

The incident began just before midnight Saturday, when officers responded to a report of an abandoned child on the side of a road, the police department said on its Facebook page Sunday morning.

Officers found a baby girl in a car seat carrier. Police said the baby was 2 or 3 months old.
 

"Scuff marks on the carrier and other debris indicate that the carrier may have fell off of a moving vehicle," the police wrote in the post.

The child was taken to a hospital to be treated for dehydration, police said.

The baby was in good condition Sunday, Smith said at the news conference, adding that the baby was in the custody of the Department of Social Services.

The investigation is ongoing, police said this afternoon. The police department is working with the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's Office.