Long Beach: 14-month-old boy is found dead in trash bin

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A 14-month-old black boy was found dead in a trash bin in downtown Long Beach by someone looking for cans and bottles to recycle. Nathan Coleman’s battered body was found near Third Street and Linden Avenue shortly after 4 p.m. Sept. 19.

Shortly before the toddler’s body was discovered, a woman reported a child had been kidnapped. The boyfriend of the child’s mother was arrested about 20 minutes after the discovery of the tiny, lifeless body.

Anthony Jerome Hall Jr., a 22-year-old black man, was charged Tuesday, Sept. 23, with the boy’s murder, as well as one count each of assault on a child causing death and child abuse.

The boy may have died in downtown Los Angeles and then been taken to Long Beach, authorities said.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Dets. Mark McGuire or Hugo Cortes of the Long Beach Police Department at (562) 570-7244.

—Richard Winton