A 21-year-old accused of sexual misconduct with a minor is believed to be the father of an infant found abandoned on the city's east side.Officers found the infant covered in blood near the intersection of Lace Bark Lane and Lon g Wharf Drive around 11:30 p.m. July 24.The woman who gave birth has been identified as a 16-year-old girl who was 15 at the time of conception and did not know she was pregnant before giving birth.The alleged father of the baby is 21-year-old Hernsley Pierre.The victim told police Tuesday that she and Pierre had sex numerous times at his house and had been together since January 2026. The girl added that she had not seen Pierre in at least two months and believed he had left for a different state about a week prior.On Thursday, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Child Abuse Unit officers responded to reports that the man believed to be the father was at the hospital with the victim.In a statement to police, Pierre acknowledged that he knew the victim and she was his girlfriend. He claimed they started having sex in March 2026 and followed that statement by saying, That baby isn't mine.Pierre denies knowing the victim was pregnant.According to the probable cause affidavit, Pierre did not know how old the victim was when their relationship began. He claimed the victim told him she was 17 about to turn 18 and that he only realized she was 15 when he picked her up from high school.The affidavit also reports: Hernsley stated that, once he found out that she was only 15, he did not stop having sex with her. He stated that he knew it was illegal, and he stated that the reason he knew it was illegal is 'Everyone in the world knows that it is illegal to have sex with minors.Pierre was then arrested on a preliminary charge of sexual misconduct with a minor.IMPD credits a community tip for helping locate the mother.If it wasn't for that community tip coming forward, leading us to where the mother was; a very young individual, and that individual being forthcoming with us...we would've never gotten to the point we're at today, said IMPD Public Information Officer Tommy Thompson.Thompson said this will likely be a long investigation because detectives must track down facts and information dating back more than nine months.While Indiana has a Safe Haven law that allows mothers to give up their newborns without penalty at a hospital or baby box, IMPD cannot speak to whether this case falls under that law since the baby was left in a public place and not handed to a person. ...read more read less