The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office has positively identified the mother of the newborn baby reported abandoned near a Lewis Center Meijer in June.

The sheriff’s office is not releasing the woman’s name at this time because she has not been charged with a crime. The case has been referred to the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office, which will determine what, if any, charges the woman will face.

Sheriff Walter L. Davis III said his office was able to identify the baby’s mother through detective work and DNA testing. He called the investigation “very difficult and very sad.”

“Our detectives are tasked quite heavily, but this was an important case so we pulled people from their normal duties and we aggressively pursued this investigation,” Davis said.

He said the sheriff’s office received and investigated “quite a few tips” about the mother’s identity. DNA evidence returned from the state crime lab approximately a week ago confirmed the actual mother of the baby, according to Davis.

The child, whom the county has named Thomas Benjamin Lewis, has been in foster care through the Delaware County Department of Job and Family Services (DCDJFS) since shortly after a motorist found him laying on his back in an embankment along Owenfield Drive on June 9. Doctors estimate the baby — found naked with his umbilical cord still attached — was no more than an hour old when discovered.

Despite media publicity, no relatives came forward during the 90-day legal window to claim Thomas after he was found. The DCDJFS received permanent custody of the baby in September.

DCDJFS representatives could not immediately be reached for comment.

bbullock@delgazette.com