Jamaica: Residents say newborn baby rescued from pit latrine has a special purpose

(Jamaica Gleaner) Residents in Cox Piece in deep rural St Mary have dubbed as Moses the day-old baby retrieved from a pit latrine in the community on Thursday morning, likening him to the iconic biblical figure who was saved and catapulted to greatness.

Dwight Campbell, who rescued the infant boy from the outdoor toilet, credited divine intervention for sparing the child injury or death.

“God a miracle God from long time and a work miracle until today. Mi a nuh Christian, but mi believe,” said Campbell, who admitted to being traumatised by the episode.

“God is so good that a baby could born from nearly seven o’clock and inna di toilet, no feed, nothing, straight back until after nine next morning and still live. No rat no bite him, no insect no bite him.”

Residents of Cox Piece expressed outrage at the incident yesterday but believe that the child is a legacy of fate and faith.

“I call the baby Moses because a God protect that baby inna di toilet from inna the early evening until after nine inna di morning. Moses!” exclaimed a resident who gave her name only as Valerie.

“Just like when they put him in River Nile, God spare him for a reason.”

After the shocking news broke on Thursday about the newborn being dumped in a toilet, Friday’s revelations were akin to the script of a Lifetime movie.

Horace Campbell, brother of Dwight, claims to have been in a relationship with the mother, who is now in hospital. They have a four-year-old son together, The Gleaner understands.

The two have since separated.

According to Horace, who sometimes participates in the overseas farm work programme, he had not seen the Clarendon woman, whose name The Gleaner has withheld because she has not been charged, since she visited in January or February this year to pick up some items for their son. But he told the news team that she turned up suddenly on Tuesday, pregnant and claiming that the foetus was his.

“OK, I will help you until the child is born, then we will see [who the father is],” Horace said he told the woman.

The residents alleged that the woman gave birth on Wednesday around 6 pm and dumped the baby in the toilet. She then went on the road, bleeding and crying out in pain for Horace to take her to the hospital, claiming she was about to give birth.

“She cut the baby navel string, throw it (the baby) in the toilet, come out pon di road a call me,” Horace alleged. “So my sister call me on the phone, tell me she hear something like mi baby mother voice over there.”

Horace said he took the woman to the St Ann’s Bay Hospital, where she was admitted.

On his way back home, Horace said she called him to say she had given birth to a girl.

Meanwhile, back at a house in the community, neighbours discovered a trail of blood and tissue that led to an outdoor toilet.

“Mi daughter look in the toilet and say, ‘Jesus Christ, Mommy, see the baby inna di toilet! And the baby a move! The baby a cry!’” Valerie said.