Kentucky couple adopts baby surrendered at fire station: 'God's hand is absolutely in this'

A baby boy who was surrendered at a Kentucky fire station nearly two years ago was officially adopted last month — a milestone his parents said they'd hoped and prayed for ever since they first learned about him.

"This is just an amazing story of grace being shown," Chris Tyler, 43, of Louisville told Fox News Digital. 

"From a loving mother to a little baby and then to us as well. God's hand is absolutely in this."

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The adoption was finalized just before Christmas, which Tyler and his wife Brittany said was a blessing. 

"Sam is a curious little guy," Chris Tyler said. 

A baby boy named Sam (pictured) who was found surrendered at a Kentucky fire station is now officially adopted. (Heather Shay Photography)

"He is just really a ball of energy. He’s the little brother who's chasing around the big brothers with pirate swords and going down the little roller coaster we've got here in the house."

The couple, who had already adopted two older children — Judah, 8, and Calvin, 5 — had been hoping for another addition to their family when they heard about Sam.

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"We have been struggling with infertility for a long time," Brittany Tyler, 36, told Fox News Digital. 

Baby Sam is shown as an infant at home with older brothers Calvin, 5, and Judah, 8. The Tylers adopted all three boys. (Tyler family)

"We wanted to start a family and things just weren't working out the traditional way, so we started looking into adoption," she said. 

"It is very expensive to go through adoption agencies and we learned that you can adopt through foster care and thought that was a great option."

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It was in May 2022 when firefighters at the Louisville Fire Department found baby Sam in the baby box.

Louisville Fire Department Battalion Chief Maj. Bobby Cooper. "They had a ring at the door and went out, and that's where they first met Samuel," he said about the day little Samuel was left in a fire department baby box. (Louisville Fire Department)

"It was early in the morning over at Truck 4, Engine 22, which is in West Louisville," Bobby Cooper, lieutenant colonel and assistant chief of the Louisville Fire Department told Fox News Digital. 

"They had a ring at the door and went out, and that's where they first met Samuel."

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The tiny infant, only a few days old, was found swaddled and placed inside a shoebox. 

The box also contained a note from the child's biological mother, revealing why she had to give up her child.

Firefighters from Louisville Fire Department Truck 4 and Engine 22 hold baby Sam just days after he was evaluated at a local hospital.  (Heather Shay Photography)

Just a year before, Gov. Andy Beshear signed legislation creating a Safe Haven Law. It enabled children under 30 days old to be surrendered in a "newborn safety device" or baby box at hospitals, fire stations and police stations.

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"The Safe Haven Laws in Kentucky and around the United States allow for a mother to safely, anonymously and legally surrender a baby," Cooper said. 

"Our firefighters are very competent and capable, and very well versed on the law. It's part of our training," he said.

Brittany and Chris Tyler adopted their son Samual Ryan, known as Sam, on Dec. 18, 2023. Sam was safely surrendered by his biological mother and placed in a baby box at the Louisville Fire Department. (Heather Shay Photography)

The firefighters took the baby inside and made sure he was secure.

"All of our firefighters are paramedics or EMTs, so they were able to do a quick assessment and make sure that he was healthy, and he appeared to be that way. He was resting and he seemed well fed."

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They notified the proper authorities and arranged emergency transportation to take Samuel to a local children's hospital for further assessment.

Brittany Tyler is photographed as she holds baby Sam in the hospital's NICU after he was surrendered in a baby box at a fire station. (Tyler family)

"When I read his story, I prayed that we would be the home chosen to take him in," Brittany Tyler said.

They were — and shortly after the phone call, Chris and Brittany Tyler found themselves in a local hospital’s neonatal unit, holding the baby. 

He weighed just 3 pounds.

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That’s when the Tylers began to unpack the small details of their foster son’s little life — such as the difficult decision his mother made as told in her note.

Because of his small size, Sam stayed in the NICU for a couple of weeks before he was ready to go home. (Tyler family)

"She wrote a little note with just a little bit about herself, and that, basically, she needed help," Brittany Tyler said.

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"And then at the very bottom it said, ‘I love you.’ It was scribbled on a piece of paper and placed with him in the box, and so we're going to keep that for him and one day he'll have these things from his mom. That way, he will know she left him there in the best way that she could, all wrapped up."

The child's biological mom had scribbled a note on a piece of paper when she dropped the baby off at the fire station. It said, "I love you." (Heather Shay Photography)

There’s no judgment whatsoever in the Tylers’ minds. 

"She cared for him, and she loved him," Chris Tyler said. 

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A few days after the baby came home from the hospital, Brittany Tyler took little Sam back to the fire station where he was surrendered — for newborn photos. 

After a hospital stay, little Sam was brought back to the fire station where he was surrendered to have a newborn photo session. (Heather Shay Photography)

And then for his first birthday, the family returned for yet another photo shoot.

Cooper said the Louisville Fire Department considers Sam part of its family. 

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"We’re glad to be part of Sam’s story," Cooper said.

Sam returned to the Louisville fire station on his first birthday where he posed for more pictures. The firefighters there now consider young Sam to be part of their family. (Heather Shay Photography)

The Tylers have fostered 17 children over the years.

They are now in the process of adopting a fourth child, a baby girl, they said.

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