Woman Who Gave Birth In Manchester Homeless Camp Faces Reckless Conduct Charge

MANCHESTER, NH — A homeless woman who gave birth to a child in a camp in Manchester was arrested on a Concord child endangerment warrant and a felony reckless conduct charge on Monday, accused of leaving her newborn in a homeless camp tent.

Around 12:30 a.m., Manchester police, firefighters, and EMTs were sent to the area of the West Side Arena for a report of a woman at a homeless campsite who was having a problem with her pregnancy and possibly giving birth prematurely. First responders arrived and met with the woman, later identified as Alexandra Davis Eckersley, 26, formerly a homeless woman in Concord.

EMTs treated her at the scene while firefighters and police searched for the baby. Around 1 a.m., more firefighters and police were called, and an “extensive search of the area” was conducted without finding the baby.

“The search was hampered by inconsistent information until it was learned the baby was located in a tent on the west side of the trestle that crosses the Piscataquag River at Electric Street,” District Chief Jon Starr of the Manchester Fire Department said.

Heather Hamel, a public information officer for the Manchester Police Department, said Alexandra Eckersley eventually “revealed the true location of the baby and led officers to the area.”

Crews located the newborn, who was found uncovered and on the floor of a tent. Resuscitation efforts were initiated, and fire and rescue teams were able to warm the baby and assist with its breathing. The baby was taken to Catholic Medical Center in Engine 6 with MFD and AMR personnel on board.

Alexandra Eckersley was also taken to Elliot Hospital for treatment.

At the time of the incident, it was approximately 18 degrees at the campsite, Starr said.

Hamel said Alexandra Eckersley was arrested later on a Concord District Court warrant for endangering the welfare of a child and also charged with felony reckless conduct in connection with the birth on the baby and abandonment on Monday morning.

The original charge was connected to an incident at Cumberland Farms on North Main Street in Concord in November 2021, according to a Patch police log entry.

“Allie,” as she was known in Concord’s homeless community, had been camping in the capital region from 2018 until a couple of months ago. She is the adoptive daughter of Dennis Eckersley, the Boston Red Sox great, and his second wife, Nancy. She has been arrested repeatedly in Concord since February 2018, not long after moving out of her parent’s home in Massachusetts. Alexandra Eckersley has been arrested on drug possession, theft, failure to appear, resisting arrest, criminal trespass, disposal of human waste charges, and bench warrants. In November 2019, she was accused of possessing methamphetamine in Concord. She is a felon due to a controlled drug: controlled premises where drugs are kept conviction from February 2021 after an incident in Concord. She was fined and received a suspended sentence, court records stated. A felony drug possession charge out of Webster from May 2021 was nolle prossed in January.

In a newspaper profile piece in 2019, the couple called her homeless status “an incredibly private and painful situation” and declined to be interviewed. In a statement, they said they had been “devoted to her health and wellbeing,” had “given her unconditional love, nurturing and support,” and worked to get her “the help, resources, programs, and professionals she has needed throughout her life.” But when she became of legal age, the “ability to intervene on her behalf became far more limited.” They stated she had been diagnosed with mental illness early on and had behavioral problems most of her life, leading to hospitalization and institutionalization.

However, Alexandra Eckersley disputed her parents' claims, saying she always felt like an outcast in their home.

At the time of the interview, she was on medication to deal with mental health issues, was receiving benefits from the state, and was hoping to enroll in college to better her life.

Dennis Eckersley business contact did not return an email seeking comment about this story before post time.

Got a news tip? Please send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel.