A Detroit teen who first told family she’d found a newborn on her porch now says she actually gave birth alone at home on Thanksgiving and that fear and panic led her to tell a different story. 

The 16-year-old, identified by family as Peyton Peoples, told Fox 2 that she didn’t know she was pregnant and delivered the baby after just a few pushes in her bathroom. “I was laying in bed and my water broke, so I went into the bathroom and had Paxton,” she told the station. 

Peyton said she relied on TikTok videos to guide the emergency delivery, including how to cut an umbilical cord. After the birth, she told relatives a stranger had left the infant on the porch because she was scared and ashamed. 

Family members later said she admitted the child was hers. "We just kept praising saying good things about the momma (like) we thank you for bringing the baby here, not knowing that it was our baby all along," said Kimberly Peoples-Adams, the teen's grandmother. Both Peyton and the baby were taken to the hospital and are expected to be ok.

Detroit police’s Child Abuse Investigation Unit is handling the case, while Children’s Protective Services conducts a review. Police investigators initially treated the porch report as suspicious and moved quickly to verify the circumstances. Local outlets said authorities have not announced any criminal charges as the inquiry continues. 

"She was afraid. Very afraid, very nervous, even though we're a very close family," Peoples-Adams said. "You can't imagine what would go through a teenager's mind. She's still 16, she's still nervous, she's still trying to learn how to deal with the world. She just felt that she's being judged, and she is being judged."

The incident has however, gained community support. A GoFundMe launched for Peyton’s family has almost raised its goal of $28,000 with neighbors and strangers pitching in to help the teen and her baby, who, according to the GoFundMe page, has been named Paxton, in their time of need.

In Michigan, there is a law called the Safe Delivery Law, which allows a parent to surrender a newborn to an on-duty hospital, fire, or police station (or call 911) within 72 hours without prosecution. Reporters and advocates note this law as important context in conversations about options for new parents like Peyton in a crisis.