Candlelight vigil planned for baby found dead in a northwest Calgary dumpster
Event to be held Saturday in parking lot where the infant was found, near Bowness Road and 79th Street N.W.
As a show of support for an infant found dead in a northwest Calgary parking lot — and for whoever left her there — a Calgary woman is organizing a candlelight vigil on Saturday night.
The vigil will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. in the parking lot at Bowness Road and 79th Street N.W., near where the infant was found about 11:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
"Her life mattered, and if this can help maybe get her mom to come forward or anybody with information to come forward, to help solve this mystery, it will be worth it," organizer Dayna Bramston told CBC News.
"It's just going to be an opportunity for people to come together and just be there together to be there for this child when nobody could be there for her on Christmas Eve."
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The idea came after Bramston read about the baby's death on social media.
"It hit me really hard," she said. "As somebody who can't have kids and somebody who has been an advocate for good child care and an advocate for women's health and mental health and physical health, it was not exactly the type of Christmas message Calgary needed."
The infant girl was found in a dumpster by a security guard and is described as having a light complexion and dark hair.
Police have said evidence at the scene indicates the mother is in need of medical help.
Bramston is also advocating for an angel cradles program to be started in Calgary, similar to the one available in Edmonton.
"We are a city of over a million people and I know there's women out there who have challenges trying to figure out what to do when they're pregnant and they can't keep their babies," she said.
A blue door can be opened at two hospitals in the capital city where a baby can be left, anonymously, in a bassinet. Literature outlining available supports is also inside for whoever is dropping off the baby.
Once the door is closed, it can't be re-opened and an alarm sounds 60 seconds later, alerting hospital staff.
The angel cradle program was started in 2013 and since that time has been used only once. The baby was healthy and was handed off to Alberta Child and Family Services.
Police are asking anyone with information about the infant found in Calgary to contact them at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.