Wind Advisory
from SAT 12:00 PM MST until SAT 10:00 PM MST, Western Pima County including Ajo/Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Tohono O'odham Nation including Sells, Upper Santa Cruz River and Altar Valleys including Nogales, Tucson Metro Area including Tucson/Green Valley/Marana/Vail, South Central Pinal County including Eloy/Picacho Peak State Park, Southeast Pinal County including Kearny/Mammoth/Oracle, Upper San Pedro River Valley including Sierra Vista/Benson, Eastern Cochise County below 5000 ft including Douglas/Wilcox, Upper Gila River and Aravaipa Valleys including Clifton/Safford, White Mountains of Graham and Greenlee Counties including Hannagan Meadow, Galiuro and Pinaleno Mountains including Mount Graham, Chiricahua Mountains including Chiricahua National Monument, Dragoon/Mule/Huachuca and Santa Rita Mountains including Bisbee/Canelo Hills/Madera Canyon, Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains including Mount Lemmon/Summerhaven, Baboquivari Mountains including Kitt Peak, Kofa, Central La Paz, Aguila Valley, Southeast Yuma County, Gila River Valley, Northwest Valley, Tonopah Desert, Gila Bend, Buckeye/Avondale, Cave Creek/New River, Deer Valley, Central Phoenix, North Phoenix/Glendale, New River Mesa, Scottsdale/Paradise Valley, Rio Verde/Salt River, East Valley, Fountain Hills/East Mesa, South Mountain/Ahwatukee, Southeast Valley/Queen Creek, Superior, Northwest Pinal County, West Pinal County, Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, Tonto Basin, Mazatzal Mountains, Pinal/Superstition Mountains, Sonoran Desert Natl Monument, San Carlos, Dripping Springs, Globe/Miami, Southeast Gila County

Baby left in car seat on side of Oklahoma freeway found by church group

A 1-month-old baby found on the side of an Oklahoma interstate in a car seat stuffed with $5,500 in cash and a birth certificate was in state custody Monday as authorities continued to investigate why the boy was abandoned.

Oklahoma City police said a church group returning from an amusement park spotted the child Saturday about 10 feet from the shoulder of Interstate 40. Sgt. Gary Knight said Monday that officers also found a Social Security card with the baby.

Police said they located the child's mother through family members and that she's been taken to a hospital to be evaluated.

"We don't know why she did what she did ... but people do the strangest things sometimes," Knight said. "I don't recall seeing a case like this where a baby was just left on the shoulder of a highway. This could have had a very tragic ending."

Emergency workers estimated the child had been left in the 91-degree heat about 30 minutes, but said he appeared to be well cared for before being left on the interstate.

Ken Angel, pastor of Abba's House of Worship Center in Ada, Oklahoma, whose group spotted the child, credited divine intervention in finding the child.

"I feel like God used our youth group to save someone's life Saturday because we're here on Earth to fulfill a redemptive purpose," Angel said. "God stepped in."

He said about 15 members of the 120-congregant church were traveling back to Ada, about 84 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, when the youth leader saw the car seat. The group had been at an amusement park in Oklahoma City.

Sheree Powell, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, said she couldn't release any information about the child.