Warning: This article contains details that may disturb some readers.
A baby was abandoned on the side of the road in Missoula, Montana due to the fact it was "too heavy", according to court documents.
The local sheriff called it a "miracle" the baby was found alive following the nine hour ordeal, the Missoulian reports.
"For all of us at the sheriff's office, this is what we call a miracle," the release said. "It's especially hard knowing what this small baby endured in the last 24 hours."
The five-month-old baby boy had been abandoned by Francis Crowley, 32, following a car accident. Crowley was discovered after he left the vehicle behind and arrived at a nearby town and began causing a disturbance.
Officers then arrived and Crowley said he had left the baby behind, but could not say how long ago or where it was as he was extremely disorientated, likely due to drug use.
Federal, state and local agencies began searching for the baby and eventually the car wreckage was found, without the baby inside.
The officers followed a trail of baby items and eventually found him down the bottom of a small slope. It was cold, covered in sticks and wearing only a wet and soiled onesie.
He was taken to hospital via ambulance, coughing up small sticks on the way. Once he arrived at hospital he was treated for dehydration, lack of food and scratches, cuts and bruises.
The baby is now in the care of the Department of Public Health and Human Services. Crowley has been charged with assault on a minor and criminal endangerment.
The nature of the baby's relationship with Crowley is not yet known.
Newshub.
