Twist in Tale of Baby 'Found' on Hawaiian Beach

News that an abandoned baby had been found on a beach in Hawaii (read the original account by the AP) has taken a surprising twist: The woman who reported finding the newborn alone and crying on Honolulu's Sandy Beach on Sunday night is actually the baby's mother, KHON 2 reports. Keala Simeona, 21, was arrested yesterday for filing a false police report; police established her true identity after questioning her.

Simeona filed the report after bringing the baby to a hospital. It's actually completely legal for a parent to give up a baby at a hospital (or police or fire station) within 72 hours of its birth in Hawaii. What isn't legal? Lying to the cops. Family court will now decide whether to return the baby—which officials have dubbed "Baby Sandy"—to Simeona, or terminate her parental rights, the AP reports. (More Keala Simeona stories.)