Photo shows police officer comforting infant whose parents overdosed

medical bottle and pills on background (DimaSobko)

A photo of an Alabama police officer cradling a 1-month old in her arms after the infant’s parents overdosed is tugging at heart strings across the nation.

AL.com reported that Birmingham Police Officer Michelle Burton responded to a local call where the parents of four small children had overdosed on unspecified drugs. She found the man, 30, dead on the kitchen floor, and the 35-year-old mother unresponsive on the couch, and she has since been admitted to St. Vincent’s Hospital, where she is in critical condition. The couple shares a 7-year-old girl, a 3-year-old boy, a 2-year-old boy, and a 1-month old girl, who was pictured in the image making its rounds online.

"This photo, police officials said, perfectly captures the essence of policing," South Precint commander Capt. Ron Sellers told AL.com. "Our first priority is to help the injured, but then we turn our focus on the children to make sure they are safe and well taken care of. We're glad our officer was able to help here."