The boyfriend of MLB Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley’s daughter has been arrested authorities say their newborn was left alone in a tent for over an hour.
The boyfriend of a baseball Hall of Famer’s daughter has been arrested in connection with the abandonment of a baby in the woods.
George Theberge, 45, was arrested on Jan. 11 for his alleged role after a baby was left alone out in the woods during freezing temperatures in December 2022, according to Manchester Police.
Theberge was reported to have been with Alexandra Eckersley, 26, when she gave birth to her baby in a tent in the woods in New Hampshire, said police. The couple then left the baby in the tent alone for over an hour before first responders located the child, police allege.
Eckersley allegedly told the police that Theberge told her the baby had no pulse and that she didn’t know how to check for a baby’s pulse, reported the Boston Globe.
The local fire department was dispatched to the area for the pregnancy and Eckersley told the first responders that she had given birth prematurely in the woods but she had given them the wrong location to search, said the Manchester Fire Department.
While police have not detailed what actions Theberge allegedly took, according to the Boston Globe, police reports in Eckersley's case alleged that the couple mislead police about their unhoused encampment because they feared that police would break it down and take their tent, leaving them with no shelter from the freezing weather.
An hour after the start of the search, Eckersley finally gave the true location of the baby to officials, where they were able to find the baby alive, said police.
"They started immediately assisting the baby to breathe and keeping the baby warm and they rushed to the hospital in the fire engine," said Manchester Fire Chief Jon Starr, according to NBC 10 Boston. "We were amazed that the baby was still alive but that just speaks to the professionalism of first responders here in Manchester."
When investigators asked Eckersley why she hadn’t taken the baby with her, she allegedly said, “What do they tell when a plane goes down? Save yourself first,” NBC 10 Boston reported.
Kim Kossick, Eckersley’s lawyer, said that despite the delay, her client did save the baby, and was then treated unfairly.
“The idea this woman alone had this child and the first instinct was to arrest her, I think, just tells you a lot about what you need to know about our society,” said Kossick, the Associated Press reported. “She was taken to the police station and interrogated before she was taken to the hospital, in her bloody clothes, still bleeding from the birth.”
Theberge, at the time, was the boyfriend of Alexandra Eckersley, the daughter of famous MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley. The pitcher and family released a family following the incident saying they didn’t know she was pregnant, NBC 10 Boston reported.
"It is heartbreaking that a child was born under such unthinkable conditions and in such tragic circumstances," the family said, NBC 10 Boston reported. "We learned with everyone else from news reports what happened and are still in complete shock."
According to Eckersley's lawyer, she is currently out on bail and in treatment, the Associated Press reported.
“She’s recovering from this ordeal,” said Kossick, according to the Associated Press. “She’s a young woman who didn’t know she was pregnant. She gave birth alone, in the woods. She did the only thing she could do, and she called 911.”
Theberge has been charged with felony tampering with witnesses, reckless conduct, and endangering the welfare of a child, said police. Eckersley was also charged in connection with the incident but she pleaded not guilty on Dec. 27 to the charges and is currently out on bail, reported the Boston Globe.
