Jayden Lavender, 14, and Jenifer Morrison, 15, have been found “safe and well” after disappearing from a Sydney hospital with their newborn baby, sparking a mass search and pleas from authorities for them to come forward.
Armed with a few items of clothing for their three-day-old daughter, Aria, and a sum of $80 the young parents made their way to Mount Druitt before purchasing a tent, sleeping bag and camping supplies from Kmart.
The couple then spent the night camping in the wilderness until they were located by authorities, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Jayden and Jenifer had been on the run for roughly 16 hours at the time of their discovery.
“He bought camping stuff from Kmart apparently and camped out for the night with his baby and his wife,” Jayden’s mother Tracy Lavender told the publication.
“The ambulance … found there was not one thing wrong with the baby.”
“They’re young, yeah, they made the mistake of being young … (Jayden) had a choice to be a proper father and support his child or walk away. He chose to be a man and stand by his girlfriend.”
She added: “They’re good parents.”
The teen parents and their three-day-old baby have been found “safe and well.” Image via Facebook.
The teenage parents, who feared authorities would take their child away from them due to their age, were captured on CCTV footage leaving Nepean Hospital in Kingswood with their baby concealed under a blanket just after midnight on Thursday.
An unidentified man, wearing an Everlast jumper, is also thought to have been with the children when they fled the hospital on foot.
Jayden, aged just 13 at the time, learned of Jenifer’s pregnancy on Father’s Day, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The couple were engaged just weeks later and planned to marry before the baby’s arrival with Ms Lavender’s consent.
However, the teenagers — who currently live at Ms Lavender’s Dharruk home — were unable to legally marry due to their age.
Police said that no charges would be laid over the event as no offences were committed — instead, the ongoing matter will be dealt by the department of Family and Community Services.
