HOUSTON, May 23 (UPI) -- The unknown parents of a 3-month old girl who was abandoned in Texas in February had their parental rights terminated, officials said.
Authorities haven't been able to locate the girl's birth parents since she was found in a plastic bag in February when she was a newborn, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The girl, known as Baby Chloe, was discovered in a plastic bag by a woman walking her dogs near the Stonegate Villas apartments in northwestern Harris County. About 3 inches of the child's umbilical cord was still attached.
On Wednesday, the parents' rights were terminated, Harris County Juvenile Court Judge Michael Schneider determined, bringing the girl closer to adoption.
"Once the judge signs the order, then the biological parents still have up to 30 days under the law to contest the termination," Child Protective Services spokeswoman Estella Olguin said. "This basically gives an opportunity for the father to come forward. It doesn't mean that the child will be returned to him but we might be able to consider a relative."
Baby Chloe has been living with a foster family since she was discharged from the hospital and that family has said they wish to adopt her, Olguin said.
