A week-old baby boy was found abandoned Saturday morning on a bench at the entrance of a St. Paul synagogue. The baby was examined at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul, pronounced “very healthy” and placed in foster care, said Tom Walsh, St. Paul police spokesman. The mother had left the child with “a very emotional note” that was not being made public, Walsh said. “Clearly, this young women felt that she had no alternative but to give this child up. … She was very upset that she wasn’t going be able to see the baby anymore.”

Police would like to see her. “Our principal concern is to know the child’s health history,” Walsh said.

The note suggests the child was named Colin James, he said.

The child wasn’t there when congregants went into Temple of Aaron synagogue on South Mississippi River Boulevard for 9 a.m. services. He was found on the bench about 10 a.m., after services.

Minnesota is among dozens of states that allow mothers to drop off unharmed babies at hospitals within 72 hours of birth with no questions asked.

Although Saturday’s case doesn’t seem to qualify, Walsh said it would be up to a prosecutor to decide whether to proceed with charges. “At this point, we are not looking for criminal charges,” he said.

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