Northshore cops say a woman abandoned her newborn child in a backyard, concealed the birth from her family and went to work.

"St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call reporting the discovery of an abandoned newborn baby,"  Capt. George Bonnett said in a news release.  "At approximately 7:00 a.m., a 13 year old boy called 911 reporting that he and his 15 year old sister had discovered a crying newborn baby wrapped in a towel and a blanket on the ground in their backyard."

EMT's treated the infant who police say had been outside wrapped in a blanket for about 20 hours from Monday afternoon until Tuesday morning.

"First responders arrived and found a breathing baby with its umbilical cord attached," Bonnett said.  "The baby was immediately transported to Northshore Regional Medical Center and was eventually air-lifted to Oschner hospital on the southshore.  The infant is reported now to be stable, but in critical condition."

Investigators say police talked to the teens' father, Johnny Lee, and determined the woman living there had delivered the baby.

"During the course of the interview, investigators learned that Lee's wife, Kimberly Lee (DOB: 01/06/77), had been pregnant.  Lee was unaware that she had given birth and reported she left the house that morning to go to work," according to Bonnett.
 
He says they called Mrs. Lee. (pictured above)

"St. Tammany deputies contacted Mrs. Lee, who was on the south shore, and instructed her to report immediately to the nearest hospital, which she did," Bonnett said.

He says in a subsequent interview, Lee told detectives she had given birth to the baby before noon and placed the newborn outside her residence. 

"It was also learned that she concealed the birth from her family by wearing oversized clothes."
 
Lee will face criminal charges including second degree cruelty to a juvenile and child desertion. 

"She is still being treated medically and the warrants are expected to be executed upon her release," Bonnett explained.  "The Lee's also have an 8 year old daughter who was at the residence during the incident.  The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services is involved in the case to ensure that the children are in a safe environment."

The home is at 36385 Teat Blackwell Rd., Pearl River.