Abandoned baby buried with clerics officiating

Wednesday, July 25, 2001 | 8:29 a.m.

A newborn boy who was abandoned and found inside a trash bag behind Harrah's hotel was buried this morning.

Republic Services of Southern Nevada workers found Francis dead in a plastic bag on May 21, but authorities do not know when he was born because his parents were never found, police said. The coroner's office has not determined whether the baby was stillborn.

The Knights of Columbus stepped in when no one claimed the baby and gave him a name, Francis, after two local priests, said Don Jaye, a spokesman for the Knights of Columbus. The group also paid for the funeral.

The services were held at Prince of Peace Catholic Church with a Roman Catholic priest, a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a rabbi and a Protestant minister officiating.

The Knights of Columbus have arranged funeral services for five other babies found dead in Southern Nevada, Jaye said.

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