Dennis Eckersley’s daughter arrested for allegedly abandoning baby in woods

Sep 21, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Retired Oakland Athletics pitcher Dennis Eckersley smiles at the crowd before the game against the Texas Rangers at the Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The daughter of Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley was arrested this week after she allegedly abandoned a newborn baby in the woods.

Alexandra Eckersley, 26, was arrested on Monday on charges that include endangering the welfare of a child, falsifying physical evidence, second-degree assault, and reckless conduct. According to WFXT in Boston, police in Manchester, N.H., responded to a report that a woman had given birth to a child in the woods early Sunday morning. Authorities say Eckersley intentionally misled them about the whereabouts of the baby before revealing the actual location an hour later.

“When (police) got on scene, the mother of the child gave multiple locations of where the baby could be, stated she could not remember where the baby was, and multiple different areas were searched for the child before the mother finally stated the baby was in the tent where the mother was living,” Manchester Fire Chief Ryan Cashin said.

Eckersley, who is the adopted daughter of former Boston Red Sox pitcher Dennis Eckersley, allegedly told police she initially lied because she was embarrassed that she was homeless and living in the woods with her boyfriend. She also claimed “she had no idea she was pregnant and that she felt she had to use the bathroom.”

“The mother’s responsibility is to the child and that responsibility was definitely neglected,” Cashin said. “There was no heat source in the tent whatsoever. … She was not forthcoming, obviously, on the baby’s location. She was very distressed, very elusive.”

Authorities found the baby struggling to breathe on the floor of a tent. The temperature was around 18 degrees at the time. When a detective asked Eckersley why she left the baby, she allegedly responded, “What do they tell you when a plane goes down? Save yourself first.”

Dennis Eckersley pitched for the Red Sox from 1978-1984 and again in his final MLB season in 1998. He also spent time with the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Oakland A’s and St. Louis Cardinals. He worked for NESN as an analyst and was a fan favorite for 20 years. Eck announced back in August that he was retiring to spend more time with his family.