Anaheim woman arrested in death of newborn found in trash bin
Authorities have arrested a 19-year-old Anaheim woman in the death of a newborn girl who was found wrapped in plastic in a trash bin in Stanton on Wednesday.
The woman, whose name is being withheld pending further investigation, is being treated at a hospital.
A deputy is at her side, making sure she remains in custody until her medical release, said Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities found the woman when she entered West Anaheim Medical Center on Wednesday afternoon in need of treatment.
“Her stories were inconsistent,” Amormino said. “She denied giving birth several times.”
Doctors concluded otherwise and alerted the Anaheim Police Department, which conducted a joint investigation with the Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies focused their search near Sombrero’s restaurant after learning the woman had eaten there Tuesday evening.
They were desperately hoping to rescue a live baby but instead found the newborn’s body in the restaurant’s trash bin just after 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The full-term, apparently healthy baby may have been born in the women’s restroom at the restaurant.
The woman could have avoided trouble if she’d taken advantage of “safe surrender” laws, which permit newborns to be left at a hospital or a fire station, both of which were nearby.
“Anyone can bring an unwanted baby with no questions asked,” Amormino said. “That makes this crime even more senseless and barbaric.”
By Thursday night, the trash bin had become a makeshift shrine, with people leaving teddy bears, flowers and candles.
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