Infant Boy Found Dead in Garbage Can

A newborn boy found dead in a garbage can at a University of Redlands dormitory probably suffocated on toilet tissue stuffed into his mouth, but further tests will be performed, a San Bernardino County coroner’s official said Thursday. “We could all assume it was from the tissue, but I can’t say (for sure),” Deputy Coroner Linda Stokes said. “I can imagine it was caused by the tissue.”

A custodian found the boy in a restroom trash can.

Irving Root, the pathologist who performed the autopsy, wrote that the baby died a few minutes after delivery. “It was in fine shape (when born),” Stokes said. “It was a healthy, cute little baby boy.”

Police said they are treating the case as a homicide.