Parents Infant McDonald’s: Couple Charged After Abandoning 4-Month-Old Baby At Ohio McDonald’s

Two parents left their infant at a McDonald’s in Elyria, Ohio after an argument over which one of them was to care for the baby that night. According to Fox 8 Cleveland, Rachel Jaajaa, 22 and Aaron Tate, 29, were at the McDonald’s where Jaajaa works when this all went down.

Outside, Jaajaa told Tate that she “had plans” and that she couldn’t take the baby. She left the fast food joint and got into her car. Instead of agreeing to watch the infant for the night, Tate brought the baby’s car seat inside and placed it on the floor of the eatery. Then, he left — as did Jaajaa.

The parents that left their infant at McDonald’s allegedly wound up meeting at an intersection where they got into a pretty nasty argument (meanwhile the infant was left behind). Police arrested both JaaJaa and Tate.

According to NewsNet 5, the incident happened on Friday night. Since their arrests, both Jaajaa and Tate have been charged with child endangering. Tate was released on bond, but Jaajaa remained in jail over the weekend. The infant was said to be in the care of family members.

According to The Chronicle-Telegram, police have found out something interesting about the case. Police Capt. Chris Costantino revealed that abandoning the 4-month-old baby was actually agreed upon by both Jaajaa and Tate.

“Neither of them really wanted to take the baby for the weekend. They both decided collectively to leave the baby in the dining room,” said Costantino. “The fact they just left the baby was disturbing, to say the least. We are grateful people stepped in so quickly to ensure the child’s safety,” he added.

The parents who left the infant at McDonald’s certainly weren’t the first to leave a child behind. Sadly, there are quite a few stories about abandonment each year. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, a baby was left on a porch in Arkansas last month. The newborn was wrapped in a blanket when the homeowner saw him, and police were called to the scene. It is unknown if the child’s mother was ever located.

“Investigators are working to identify and locate the mother of the infant, and anyone else who may have information related to this incident. As of Tuesday afternoon, officials with Arkansas Children’s Hospital said the baby is in ‘good’ condition. Additionally, the baby is said to now be in custody of the Arkansas Department of Human Services.”

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]