A 20-year-old mother who allegedly wheeled her baby daughter’s stroller onto the platform at the Columbus Circle subway station was held without bail Tuesday.
Frankea Dabbs was charged with abandoning the baby girl, and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the criminal complaint.
The baby, 10 months old, was placed in the custody of the Administration for Children’s Services after being found Monday afternoon by a 33-year-old woman on the northbound platform.
Dabbs, whose last known address was in North Carolina, was taken into custody at about 12:30 a.m. on the Upper West Side, about 12 hours after she allegedly pushed the red stroller with white polka dots out of the front car of a northbound No. 1 train and then continued to ride the train, police said.
She was found with identification from both California and North Carolina when she was arrested, said Manhattan District Attorney Eun Ha Kim.
The woman who found the baby waited for about 20 minutes for the Dabbs to return before flagging down police.
“[The baby] was very vulnerable,” said Kim at the arraignment. “Anyone could have come by and taken that child away.”
Dabbs showed no remorse, Kim said. The child was granted an order of protection. As the hearing concluded Dabbs spoke out, using profanity.
Dabbs had been living in North Carolina with her aunt, Lawanna Edmonds, until July 1. Recently the father of her baby had been shot to death inside their North Carolina home, Edmonds said.
“She was a great mom,” Edmonds told amNewYork Tuesday from North Carolina. “I don’t know what’s going on. Something just snapped her mind.”
“I know she needs help,” she added. “Just bring her home, that’s all we want.”
Dabbs was arrested near 72nd Street and Broadway after someone recognized her from the photo the NYPD released, police said. She allegedly told investigators that she couldn’t take care of her daughter anymore, said a law enforcement official with knowledge of the incident.
Dabbs’ father said he is hoping to get custody of the little girl. He said he didn’t know why she had come to New York.
“She was a good mother to her child,” Franklin Dabbs said. “It was just a shock to me. It’s heartbreaking really, we never thought it would be like this.”
When she was found, the infant was wearing a red blouse with black leggings and a diaper, police said. The child had a rash on her face and bandages on her hands, police said. She also had what appeared to be eczema on her cheeks and elbows.
The baby was taken to The Mount Sinai Roosevelt Hospital in good condition and then placed in ACS custody.
Dabbs has been arrested several times in multiple states, including for prostitution and drug possession. Dabbs had been living in North Carolina with her aunt, Lawanna Edmonds, until July 1.
Her next court appearance is July 11.
