Police officers found a homeless mother with a stillborn child at a bus stop in Portland last week, but the death is not being linked to the recent freezing weather.
The Multnomah County Medical Examiner's office has ruled the death a stillbirth or fetal demise, and said hypothermia was not a factor.
Related: Heavy Rain, Freezing Rain Follow Week Of Snow, Cold For Oregon
"The baby was never alive," said Tom Chappelle, deputy medical examiner for Multnomah County.
Police responded to a call of a homeless woman with an infant at a bus stop on Powell Boulevard last week. They took the mother and child to OHSU where doctors tried unsuccessfully to save the child.
The mother was unsure when and where the infant was born, according to Chappelle.
The Willamette Week first reported on the death of the baby, and cited text messages from first responders at the scene indicating the baby was still alive and breathing when they found it.
The infant’s body remains at the medical examiner's office, unclaimed by family.
A study in the American Academy of Pediatrics found that six percent of new mothers in Oregon reported being homeless within a year of their child’s birth.
The life expectancy of a person who is homeless is about 30 years shorter than the life expectancy of an average American.
