A newborn is now in the hands of authorities after being abandoned by her mother in Lakewood.
On Sunday, Feb. 8, Lakewood Police Station responded to a call of an abandoned newborn baby girl who was subsequently taken to Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach. A bicyclist who was looking for recycle items heard the newborn crying and stopped to render help, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The man saw the abandoned baby wrapped in a blanket lying behind a planter on the grass with no guardian present and took her to a nearby fire station, from where she was taken to the hospital.
Special Victims Bureau (SVB) and the crime lab were notified and responded to the scene, where a 35-year-old female approached deputies, telling them she had witnessed the mother giving birth and assisted her by helping cut the umbilical cord. The alleged witness was subsequently taken to Lakewood Station for further questioning. During the interview with SVB detectives, they noticed that when she stood up from her seat, there was blood on her chair.
The blood and her story of helping at the scene led investigators to believe she may have been the suspected mother, although she denied giving birth. For her safety, she was taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital to be medically treated for her bleeding. At the hospital, the examining physician concluded she had recently given birth because the placenta and partial umbilical cord were still inside her, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
The female was admitted for treatment due to the recent delivery and is also pending a psychiatric evaluation.
“Based on the above, we believe the woman is the mother of the child,” stated the Sheriff’s Department. “The DNA results are pending.”
The investigation is still ongoing, and the facts will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecutorial review.
Those with information are asked to call SVB detectives at (562) 946-8531. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call LA Crime Stoppers by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477) or texting the letters TIPLA plus the tip to CRIMES (274637,) or by using the website lacrimestoppers.org .
Source: LA County Sheriff’s Dept.
