A retired police officer has found the abandoned baby he rescued decades ago as a young lieutenant – with the child now grown and wearing a familiar uniform.
The emotional photoshoot took place at the South Bend, Indiana, Police Department late last month and featured retired officer Gene Eyster, who handled the case there 24 years ago.
The other principle was none other than SBP Officer Matthew Hegedus-Stewart, the same “Baby Boy Doe” Eyster found in a box in the town just south of Notre Dame in December 2000.
Discovered just days before Christmas, Hegedus-Stewart grew up in South Bend thanks to Eyster, eventually becoming an officer in the same force that saved him.
The star-crossed couple had been separated until now – providing Eyster with much-needed closure after wondering about the baby’s fate for decades. Video of the emotional meeting shows how it unfolded a few weeks ago.
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The emotional photoshoot took place at the South Bend, Indiana, Police Department late last month and featured retired officer Gene Eyster, who handled the case there 24 years ago. The other principle was none other than SBP Officer Matthew Hegedus-Stewart.
The adult officer is the same “Baby Boy Doe” found in a box in South Bend in December 2000, abandoned before being placed in foster care.
“It was one of the strangest calls I’ve ever received,” Eyster, a 47-year veteran of the force, told CBS News, while reliving the December day when he and the fate of Officer Hegedus-Stewart became forever linked.
“We have a baby found in a box,” he continued, recalling the words of a dispatcher who directed him and other officers to a local apartment complex where a new- born Hegedus-Stewart had been found by a man in a common area.
“Are you still wondering what happened?” » he asked aloud, remembering how he had named the baby “Baby Jesus” instead of the cruder moniker dreamed up by the local newspapers.
‘Baby Doe’ looked so cruel,” Eyster said. “So…I started calling him ‘Baby Jesus’ – because it was so close to Christmas.”
At the time, Eyster – tasked with tracing the baby’s lineage – told the South Bend Tribune: “Initial examination indicated it may have been a home delivery.”
“I want to find the mother and make sure she’s okay,” continued the then-lieutenant – seen in tears during last month’s emotional media event.
“After that, we’ll let the chips fall where they fall,” he told the newspaper. “The priority is to take care of the child, then the mother, and finally if there is criminal intent.”
A search for answers about the boy’s origins ensued, during which a devoted Eyster went out and bought a teddy bear to keep the child company.
The two men met at the police station on March 22, a few months after Eyster – who recently lost a son – retired.
A moving reunion ensues, during which the two men take stock of the lives they have led over the past decades.
“We have a baby found in a box,” he continued, recalling the words of a dispatcher who directed him and other officers to a local apartment complex where a new- born Hegedus-Stewart had been found by a man in a common area.
“Are you still wondering what happened?” » he asked aloud, remembering how he had named the baby “Baby Jesus” instead of the cruder moniker dreamed up by the local newspapers.
After a medical examination, the boy was turned over to Child Protective Services, to be placed in a type of foster care.
However, due to local laws, the baby’s exact fate was later kept secret, leaving Eyster in the dark even after his retirement last year.
Everything changed in mid-March when the officer received a call from a former colleague.
To his great surprise, his ex-colleague provided an update on the fate of the child in whom he had taken an interest so many years previously.
“He’s sitting next to me right now,” joked Officer Joshua Morgan, offering his insight while answering calls from recent graduate Hegedus-Stewart.
“He’s my rookie!” »
Then came March 22, 2024 – the day Eyster was finally able to meet the grown-up “Baby Jesus.”
Having recently lost his only son, he was greeted by a young man sporting the same uniform he wore for nearly five decades – a monumental occasion felt by both parties.
‘Baby Doe’ looked so cruel,” Eyster said. “So… I started calling him ‘Baby Jesus’ – because it was so close to Christmas.” A clipping recounting the discovery of the December 23, 2000 can be seen here
The two men began to catch up while going through the preserved documents relating to this fateful case.
Several of the documents – kept secret since the incident – had never been seen by Hegedus-Stewart before and offered new insight into the man who saved him.
In an interview with CBS, Hegdeus-Stewart said his information was also limited and that he fell into the same job as his savior, mostly by chance.
Eyster appeared visibly emotional during the meeting, which was filmed and shared on the department’s Facebook page.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” Officer Hegedus-Stewart told Eyster, shaking his hand.
In an interview with CBS, Hegdeus-Stewart said his information was also limited and that he fell into the same job as his savior mainly by chance.
Asked if the little information he had about his rescue led him to apply for a position in the force, he said no, but added it could have been something more complex.
“I guess subconsciously, yes,” he said through tears. “That’s probably why I ended up where I am now.”
Meanwhile, as the two met in the halls of the South Bend Police Department, a smiling Eyster couldn’t help but crack a joke.
“You’re a little bigger now.”
The two men began to catch up while going through the preserved documents relating to this fateful case.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” Officer Hegedus-Stewart told Eyster, shaking his hand gratefully.
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