A newborn baby boy has been found abandoned in a cardboard box in sub-zero temperatures in Merlo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a note from his mother asking finders to contact the father.
Two men heard strange sounds coming from a box under a tree and discovered the infant, who was breathing faintly with his eyes closed and appeared to be suffering from hypothermia. One of the men, Elias, described the baby as 'purple and only slightly moving'. A resident named Estefania helped by bathing the baby, changing his nappy, and calling the police.
The baby, named Mateo in the note, was dressed and wrapped in a blanket with a blue hat. The handwritten note read: 'Whoever has found my son M (Mateo), I ask that you please call his father. His name is Joaquin and he does not know about it [the baby]. Here is his number. I cannot take care of the baby. He was born on 28th May. I love him so much and I hope that one day he can forgive me.'
Mateo was rushed to Hospital Heroes de Malvinas, where he is now out of danger but still receiving treatment. A local prosecutor is investigating the abandonment. When local media contacted the number on the note, a woman answered, denying any involvement and stating she has five children of her own.
