Couple Who Fled Without Baby Arrested

A woman who police said drove off with her husband after giving birth to a boy Wednesday in the parking lot of Long Beach’s Memorial Medical Center has been arrested on suspicion of child abandonment.

Police Officer Mary Jensen recognized the aging green van driven by Paul and Marta Gleason Fisher at a fast-food restaurant in Long Beach on Thursday afternoon, according to authorities.

When confronted, they said, Marta Fisher “admitted she was the one they were looking for.”

Nurses told police that the woman had explained she was a heroin addict and could not care for the child. When the nurses took the newborn inside, the couple in the van sped off.

Police Sgt. Don Hesslink said Friday that the infant showed “some signs of drugs in his system,” and that tests were pending.

Both Fishers were booked on felony child desertion charges, and Marta Fisher was also booked for an outstanding warrant, about which police would not elaborate.