A Pennsylvania couple allegedly left their baby alone on a New York beach while they went for a boat ride. The State Police in Queensbury arrested Paul D. Thorley, 30, and Mary E. Thorley, 28, both of Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, after allegedly abandoning their child so they could go out on a boat. A passerby reportedly noticed an infant alone and called police.
According to a news release from the New York State Police, state troopers responded to the area of Lake Shore Drive in Lake George after a call came in about an abandoned baby. Sadly, the child seemed to be in distress but was thankfully unharmed.
Troopers arrived at the scene in the early evening.
Per the news release, troopers responded to the call just before 6 p.m. June 18. A passerby allegedly heard a baby crying for an extended period and found the infant alone. The infant, whose gender was not identified, was approximately 5 feet from the shoreline without any adult supervision. The investigation found the baby had been alone for about 15 minutes.
The baby’s parents were arrested.
According to the release, Paul and Mary Thorley were arrested and taken to the state police’s Chestertown station for processing. They were issued appearance tickets and are due in court on June 27.
A police representative told USA TODAY that the child was not harmed, but the baby was not returned to the parents, instead being released to the custody of a family member.
This incident shocked many people on social media.
WTEN posted about the alleged abandonment on Facebook, and commenters were appalled at the story.
“Nope nope I’m convinced parents who do this are looking for a way to lose their child either by death or cps,” one person wrote. “There are people in this world who have no right reproducing.”
Many others agreed.
“How many times have they left this child previously…and no one was around to report them!! Child needs to be placed with parents that actually care about their child!!” someone else commented. “They were released..and highly doubt they’ll be back from PA to appear in Court!!”
One person pointed out how devastating this situation could have been: “This is a sickening story…so many things could have happened to that child. Heat stroke, drowning, abduction…..you should have to pass a class on child rearing before getting pregnant. So many loving families that can’t get pregnant would cherish this child. So glad someone called police.”
The mother is reportedly active in her community.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Mary Thorley works in the financial industry as a recruiter. She is also a volunteer for several organizations, including Special Olympics.