Dead Newborn Found In Recycling Plant Refuse Given Name and Burial

According to CBS, the dead newborn boy found at a south suburban recycling plant in Chicago Ridge, Ill. May 1 has been given a name and will get a proper funeral and burial.

The baby's body was found at 4 a.m. in a soft cooler by a worker at the plant, among the refuse with addresses in Waukegan, Ill., leading to speculation that he had been born there. However, items in the refuse were also collected in North Chicago and Wisconsin.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's office said last week that the baby was not full term, but could have survived if given proper medical care after birth. The cause of death has not yet been determined.

The boy has been named Jeremiah Michael, which holds special meaning given the circumstances, said Chicago Ridge Police Chief Robert Pyznarski.

"Michael is the patron saint of police, and Jeremiah means 'God will set you free,'" Donna Betsanes, administrative assistant to the chief of the Chicago Ridge Police department said.

Betsanes said a charity group that offers to pay for the burials of the poor is talking with police about providing a burial for the baby, and Rev. Ken Carlson, former pastor of Our Lady of the Ridge Roman Catholic Church in Chicago Ridge, has agreed to officiate the funeral.