Yuma County to launch Safe Haven baby boxes June 30, 2026

Two Safe Haven baby boxes will go live in Yuma County on June 30, adding a new crisis-response option for parents who cannot safely care for a newborn and want a legal, anonymous handoff instead of an unsafe abandonment. The program is tied to the local grief around Baby Sonny, and county leaders are pairing it with Yuma’s existing emergency network, including the City of Yuma, Yuma Fire Department and Onvida Health.

The surrender process is built for speed. A parent or agent can place an unharmed infant who is 30 days old or younger into a designated Safe Haven site without giving a name, and Arizona law says the person is not guilty of child abuse solely for leaving the baby with a safe haven provider. In the box itself, the parent opens the exterior door, places the baby inside, and closes it; the door locks automatically, an alarm and 911 alert activate, and trained responders retrieve the infant from inside the building within minutes for an immediate medical evaluation and hospital care. The City of Yuma says babies left at Safe Haven locations receive immediate medical care and are then placed with child welfare professionals.

The urgency behind the rollout is impossible to separate from the Baby Sonny case. Police said a newborn boy was found in a trash can outside the Best Western hotel at 1450 S. Castle Dome Avenue in Yuma, and investigators believed he may have been placed there sometime between 10 p.m. on April 30 and 10 a.m. on May 1, 2025. After the one-year remembrance of the child’s death, the City of Yuma said its local Safe Haven locations were marked with a custom logo that incorporates Baby Sonny’s footprints, turning a tragedy into a visible reminder that a safer option now exists.

The city says the program is being carried out with support from the Yuma Fire Department, Onvida Health, Amberly’s Place, Catholic Community Services and the Arizona Department of Child Safety. That network matters because the Yuma Fire Department operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the county’s Safe Haven sites already include hospitals and staffed fire stations across the community. For parents who need help before a crisis turns into an emergency, Arizona Department of Child Safety lists a hotline at 1-888-767-2445, the National Safe Haven Alliance lists 1-888-510-2229, Catholic Community Services in Yuma can be reached at (928) 341-9400, and Amberly’s Place at 928-373-0849.