“A miracle is not a big enough word for him. And that’s a big word.” 

That’s how Jackson Police Officer Timothy McClain described the newborn baby found in a dumpster in the early morning hours of Jan. 19. 

He emotionally recounted the story in a one-on-one interview with the Jackson Post, just weeks after the incident that brought awareness to the entire region. 

McClain is a father of two and a four-year veteran with the Jackson Police Department. He typically works overnight shifts. That night was particularly stormy, as meteorologists called for wind and thunderstorms. By early morning, the temperature dropped into the mid-30s. 

“Me and my district partner just cleared a call over off of residential area Edenwood, between Russell, so we’re over by the hospital,” he said describing that night. “The call went out, right at 4 a.m. in the morning. It’s not a call we normally get.”

“Not a call we normally get” was a statement made from the early stages of this story, and has continued to be said. McClain said it repeatedly during this interview, and Police Chief Thom Corely impressed that in the original press conference in January.

When McClain heard the call, he said he hoped it was a prank or a mental consumer – anything other than the reality of what he found. He said he arrived at the apartment complex minutes later and ran inside an apartment to find the baby.

“I observed a baby laying in the living room on top of a black North Face thin jacket and a multicolored blanket,” McClain said. The baby had no clothes, no diaper. He said the little Black baby was white as a sheet and wasn’t moving – almost frozen. 

“The only thing that kept running through my head was to get him warm. Somehow, some way, get him warm. So I wrapped the blanket on him as tightly as I could get. And I put him pretty close to me,” McClain said.

Looking back, officers estimate the newborn was in the dumpster for four to six hours. 

“I just remember touching him and it felt like sticking your hand in the freezer for two to three minutes. And that’s what he felt like,” McClain said.

McClain rushed to the nearest fire truck, and held him in the warm backseat. Minutes later, the ambulance arrived, and while some people might have handed the baby off to the paramedics, McClain jumped in the back with the newborn baby. He joined Critical Care Paramedic Megan Brown and Advanced Emergency Technician Whitney McCord in providing life-saving care. 

“I couldn’t leave him alone,” McClain said.

The baby was so small that the heart monitor and oxygen bag didn’t fit properly. McClain and the paramedics performed infant chest compressions, and the baby started to move and make some small sounds. 

“We didn’t know if that was him trying to come around, or if he was slipping away from us,” McClain said. “We just knew it was something.”

They arrived at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital at 4:15 a.m. By 4:23, doctors said there was nothing they could do. 

So the little boy was wrapped up like a newborn and placed under the heat lamps. Officer McClain, along with two nurses, sat next to him, waiting for him to drift out of this world. 

The three of them sat there for 40 minutes, simultaneously praying for a miracle and mourning a life that never had a chance. Officer McClain even gave him a name: Julius.

“We were touching him, and you know, talking to him and praying for him. I just remember I told him he needs the fight. I got him here, and he needs to fight. So let’s go ahead and fight,” McClain said.

And that’s when it happened. It started with a little “baby grunt.” Then his eyes opened. By the time a doctor came in, his heartbeat was rising.

“This was a Black boy, a newborn baby, who was as white as I was. His color started to come in, and his beautiful brown skin started to come in. It started in his cheeks, and then it moved down his neck, and it’s like you could see him come to life in front of us,” McClain said.

Baby Julius was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit. That was the last time Officer McClain saw him. However, he does continue to receive updates on his care through the system. 

As baby Julius grows up, there is a chance he might grow curious about where he came from. He might even stumble into this article. There’s a couple things Officer McClain wants him to know: 

“We love him. He wasn’t anything less than perfect. He was gorgeous,” McClain said. “He was a beautiful boy. When he was brought into this world, he wasn’t brought into a perfect world. And he had to suffer the consequence right off the bat. And that’s not his fault.

“If he ever needs anything, I’m sure the Jackson Police Department and myself, the McClain family, will be here for him. If he ever needs anything. Anytime. Anytime. He’s got more love than they will ever know. That always will always be here for him.”

In February’s City Council meeting, McClain was awarded the Life Saving medal from the Jackson Police Department, for his work to save baby Julius’s life. He’s one of just a few dozen officers to receive the award in the last 40 years. 

“It is very humbling to get it and to receive it. If I could take all the awards back and everything for him to be born without all that tragedy, I would,” McClain said. “But I can’t. And I think that’s going to make him even stronger.

“I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. I believe I work through God.” Tears streamed down his face. “I hope I never have to do that again.”

“He’s an angel, because of the awareness he’s brought. He’s brought awareness to the city. We’ve had multiple calls, texts, email, from people trying to help him. Mayor Scott Conger is trying to get the Safe Haven Boxes brought more quickly. He might be our saving grace for another baby.” 

Safe Haven Boxes permit a mother in crisis to safely, securely, and anonymously surrender if they are unable to care for their newborn. The boxes are located at fire stations or hospitals, and signal someone inside the building to come get the baby. Since 2017, 23 babies have been surrendered through the boxes. 

Jackson was already scheduled to receive the boxes this spring, but city officials say they’re working to get them as soon as possible, hoping the awareness of this case will help another baby at some point. 

Going forward, Julius is in state custody, and his location is not being shared with the public. The Jackson Police Department also hasn’t released any more information about his mother or her location, for her safety as well.