Touching moment former Indiana cop who rescued newborn baby abandoned in a hallway days before Christmas meets him 24 years later

A retired cop has been reunited with the abandoned baby he rescued decades ago as a young lieutenant - with the child now fully grown and wearing a familiar uniform.

The heartfelt phot-op was held at the South Bend Police Department in Indiana late last month, and featured long-retired officer Gene Eyster, who handled the case 24 years ago.

The other principle was none other than SBP Officer Matthew Hegedus-Stewart, the same 'Baby Boy Doe' Eyster found in a box in the town just south of Notre Dame on December 2000.

Discovered just days before Christmas, Hegedus-Stewart grew up in South Bend thanks to Eyster, eventually becoming an officer with the same force that saved him.

The star-crossed pair had been separate until now - providing Eyster with some much-needed closure after being left wondering about the infant's fate for decades. Video from the emotional meeting shows how it went down a few weeks ago.

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The heartfelt phot-op was held at the South Bend Police Department in Indiana late last month, and featured long-retired officer Gene Eyster, who handled the case 24 years ago. The other principle was none other than SBP Officer Matthew Hegedus-Stewart

The full grown officer the same 'Baby Boy Doe' found in a box in South Bend on December 2000, abandoned before being put in foster care

'That was one of the strangest calls I think I've ever had,' Eyster, a 47-year veteran of the force, told CBS News, while reliving the December day that he and officer Hegedus-Stewart's fates became forever intertwined

'We have a found baby in a box,' he continued, recalling the words from a dispatcher that pointed him and other officers toward a local apartment complex where a newborn Hegedus-Stewart was found by a man in a common area.

'You always wonder, what happened?' he asked aloud, remembering how he christened the baby 'Baby Jesus' instead of the more crass moniker dreamt up by local papers.

'Baby Doe' sounded so cruel,' said Eyster. 'So... I started calling him "Baby Jesus" -  since it was so close to Christmas.'

At the time, Eyster - tasked with tracing the tot's lineage - told The South Bend Tribune, 'Initial examination indicated it may have been a home delivery.'

'I want to find the mother and make sure she's OK,' the then lieutenant - seen tearing up during last month's emotional media event - continued.

 'After that, we'll let the chips fall where they fall,' he told the paper. 'The priority is care and concern for the child, then the mother, and lastly if there's any criminal intent.'

A search for answers about the boy's origin ensued, during which a dutiful Eyster went out and bought a teddy bear to keep the kid company.

The pair met up at the police station on March 22, months after Eyster - who recently lost a son - retired 

An emotional reunion ensued, during which the pair brought eachother up to speed on the lives they led over the past few decades

'We have a found baby in a box,' he continued, recalling the words from a dispatcher that pointed him and other officers toward a local apartment complex where a newborn Hegedus-Stewart was found by a man in a common area

'You always wonder, what happened?' he asked aloud, remembering how he christened the baby 'Baby Jesus' instead of the more crass moniker dreamt up by local papers.

 Following a medical examination, the boy was handed over to Child Protective Services, to be put in some kind of foster-care situation.

However, due to local laws, the exact fate of the infant was then kept under wraps, leaving Eyster in the dark even after he retired last year

That changed in mid-March when the officer received a call from an old colleague.

In a massive surprise, his ex-colleague offered an update on the child he'd took interest in so many years ago's fate. 

'He's sitting next to me right now,' officer Joshua Morgan joked, offering the insight while taking calls with a recently graduated Hegedus-Stewart.

'He's my rookie!'

Then came March 22, 2024 - the day Eyster finally got to meet 'Baby Jesus' all grown up.

After recently losing his only son, he was greeted by a young man sporting the same uniform he wore for nearly five decades - a monumental occasion felt by both sides.

'Baby Doe' sounded so cruel,' said Eyster. 'So... I started calling him "Baby Jesus" - since it was so close to Christmas.' A clipping chronicling the December 23, 2000, discovery is seen here

The two proceeded to play catchup while perusing preserved documents pertaining to the fateful case

Several of the documents - kept classified since the incident - had never been seen by Hegedus-Stewart before, and offered new insight into the man who saved him

In an interview with CBS, Hegdeus-Stewart said that his information was also limited, and that he fell into the same job as his savior mostly by chance

Eyster appeared visibly emotional during the meeting, which was filmed and shared on the department's Facebook page

'Thank you for everything you did for me,' Officer Hegedus-Stewart told Eyster while shaking his hand

In an interview with CBS, Hegdeus-Stewart said that his information was also limited, and that he fell into the same job as his savior mostly by chance.

When asked if the small bit of information he had about his rescue led him to apply for a position of the force, he said no - but added it could have been something more complex.

'I guess subconsciously, yes,' he said tearing up. 'That's probably why I ended up where I am now.'

Meanwhile, as the two met in the halls of the South Bend Police Department, a smiling Eyster couldn't help but crack a joke.

'You’re a little bit bigger now.' 

The two proceeded to play catchup while perusing preserved documents pertaining to the fateful case.

'Thank you for everything you did for me,' Officer Hegedus-Stewart told Eyster, gratefully shaking his hand.