Palmdale Girl, 15, Arrested After Newborn Abandoned

A 15-year-old girl who allegedly abandoned her newborn baby in the dirt of a Palmdale construction site last week was arrested on suspicion of felony child cruelty Friday and told authorities that she mistakenly believed that the boy had been born dead.

The baby, covered with dirt and blood, was found alive about six hours later, early Aug. 3, by a worker at the construction site. But it was not until noon Friday that Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies found the young mother after she contacted a local hospital about her son.

The girl, a Palmdale resident who was not identified, went to Palmdale Hospital Medical Center to check on the condition of the baby after reading about his rescue in a local newspaper, deputies said. She was arrested there and later released to her parents.

“The mother stated she was frightened and was afraid the baby had been born dead. So she left it in the construction site,” said Deputy Ron Thomason.

By Friday, the teen-ager “was starting to have a guilty conscience,” said Detective Barbara Fryer, who arrested the mother at the hospital after being summoned by hospital officials.

Fryer would say only that her investigation is continuing. “This is a tender situation. We’re trying to think of the family and the parents,” she said. Officials at the hospital refused to comment.

The baby was moved to a foster home shortly after his discovery. The baby is in good condition and will remain at the home pending the outcome of the case, said Ray LaMotte, spokeswoman for the county Department of Children’s Services.

County officials said the teen-age mother faces criminal prosecution for child cruelty, if the district attorney’s office decides to file the case, and a separate Juvenile Court proceeding that will determine whether she, her family or someone else will gain custody of the baby.

Although juveniles are not always prosecuted in such cases, “I think, under the circumstance, we’d file it if there is sufficient evidence,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Ches McKay in the office’s juvenile division in Sylmar. “This is the kind of situation where we think court intervention is appropriate.”

Jail Termed Unlikely

However, he said the mother would likely face probation or placement in a home rather than jail.

As for the baby, both McKay and LaMotte said authorities would first try to reunite the young mother with her child, despite the abandonment, provided the girl or her family wants the boy and can support him.

Otherwise, the baby could be put up for adoption.

Officials did not say whether the teen-ager or her parents want the baby. The young mother went to the hospital to inquire about the child, they noted. But LaMotte added: “It’s my understanding the parents didn’t even know she was pregnant.”

The naked five-pound infant was found by Elias Ortiz near a tractor at a condominium construction site at 17th Street East and Avenue Q-14. Authorities believe that the mother gave birth in the area and walked away.