Yuma promotes Safe Haven Program on Baby Sonny anniversary

A year after a newborn boy was found dead in a trash can at a Best Western hotel in Yuma, city officials are using the anniversary to push a message that could save another infant’s life: Arizona’s Safe Haven Program allows a parent to anonymously surrender an unharmed newborn 30 days old or younger.

The City of Yuma posted its awareness message on April 28, 2026, tying the outreach to the one-year mark of Baby Sonny’s passing. The city said it proudly participates in the statewide program and wants more parents, relatives and neighbors in Yuma County to know there is a legal, safe option in a crisis.

Under Arizona law, Safe Haven sites include fire stations and qualifying health care institutions such as general hospitals and rural general hospitals. Those facilities must post notices outside saying they accept newborns under the law. The parent may remain anonymous, and the baby must be unharmed and 30 days old or younger.

Once a safe haven provider receives a newborn, state law says the provider must report that receipt to the Arizona Department of Child Safety as soon as practicable. The placement protocol also requires the infant to be taken to a hospital for a physical examination. The Arizona Legislature’s Safe Haven provisions spell out those steps so the transfer is handled quickly and with medical care.

The tragedy that prompted the renewed outreach dates to late April or early May 2025, when Yuma police and multiple outlets reported that a newborn baby boy was found dead at the Best Western hotel in Yuma. In July 2025, KYMA reported that officers gave the infant the nickname Baby Sonny to offer him dignity and because the discovery happened on a sunny Yuma day.

The city’s reminder also reflects a wider effort by the Arizona Safe Baby Haven Coalition, a volunteer-led group formed by health care workers, social workers and other concerned citizens to increase awareness of the law. The coalition and the Arizona Safe Baby Haven Foundation have worked alongside state and local agencies to promote the same message: if an infant must be surrendered in an emergency, there is a lawful path that brings the baby to immediate medical attention and out of danger.