A newborn baby boy was rescued in Sun Valley Saturday afternoon after being left in a dumpster. A person nearby heard the baby crying and once they found it, they called 911.
The Washoe County Sheriff's office say they arrested the baby's mother Sunday night. 28-year-old Taylour Sierra Dickinson is facing charges for attempted murder and child abuse.
Detectives says that the baby boy is healthy and under care at the Renown Regional Medical Center.
WCSO is reminding Nevadans that the Safe Haven law is designed for those who don't feel like they're ready to be a parent; giving them the option to surrender their child safely.
"Nevada has the Safe Haven law which allows parents to—who may be experiencing some sort of crisis or feelings of inability to care for a newborn child—to surrender that child in a safe and legal manner," said Cole Brokaw, Detective with the Washoe County Sheriff's Office.
The law allows parents to leave a child at either a police station, fire station, or hospital within the first 30 days after a child is born.
It's no questions asked - once the child is given away, their parental rights are terminated.
"If that child is surrendered unharmed, uninjured, no signs of abuse or neglect, then there are no criminal charges or repercussions for that parent," Brokaw said.
The parent who delivers the child must either leave them in the possession of a person who clearly works for the emergency service or on the property where the parent has reasonable cause to believe the child will not be hurt. The parent is also required to call the provider to let them know the child is there.
However, it is a confidential law. Parents are not required to give any personal information, can leave at any time, and cannot be followed.
Once the baby is in the emergency responder's custody, they're taken to have their medical well-being checked before they're put up for adoption.
WCSO says between 2000 and 2019, the Safe Haven law was used just 11 times, and there is no data of how many times it's been used from 2019 to 2025.
Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue and Reno Police Department say that there has not been any times in recent years its been used. They both say it's super rare.
Detectives say cases like these are never easy to handle.
"Yes this is a difficult case. This year we have had several difficult cases, and sometimes you come across those that you can't imagine. It's a difficult thing to have to encounter, but you know through investigating these types of cases you're hopefully finding a better future for that child," Brokaw said.
The sheriff's office says that if you feel like you're in a stressful situation like this and don't know what to do, there are other resources in the community.
"So some other resources in our community that would help out a parent going through something similar—or feel like they're about to be going through something similar—would be through Our Place, the shelter or potentially the Children's Cabinet," Brokaw said. "Any of our three major police agencies all have victim advocates that would be able to provide additional resources for somebody that is maybe an expected mother, or a new mother that feels that they are in a similar situation."
The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information can call the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division at (775) 328-3320, referencing case #25-3244 or Secret Witness at (775) 322-4900.
