Toddler Abandoned in Store : Police Seek Parents of Baby Girl Found Asleep in Cart at West Hills Mall

Police are searching for the parents of an 18-month-old toddler who was left sleeping in a shopping cart in the hardware section of a West Hills discount store Friday morning.

The baby girl, who appeared to be healthy and well-fed, was placed with the county Department of Children’s Services, authorities said.

Eight baby bottles filled with milk and several business cards were found in a bag in the shopping cart, Los Angeles police said. Officers wouldn’t disclose what the cards said.

“At this point, it appears that the baby was left abandoned,” said Sgt. Dan Mastro. “So we’ve taken it into protective custody and are attempting to locate the mother or guardian.”

The child, who police believe is Vietnamese, was discovered about 11 a.m. napping in the child’s seat of a shopping cart in a Target discount store at the Fallbrook Mall, Mastro said.

The store was packed with about 300 people at the time, said store manager Mark Fleer.

After attempting to locate the toddler’s parents, Fleer called mall security who tried to page the child’s parents over the intercom system. When no one claimed the child, Fleer called police.

“I don’t think anyone wanted to believe that someone left their baby,” Fleer said. “At first we thought maybe she had gotten separated from her mother or something.”

“It’s really a shame that someone felt they had to do this,” Mastro said. “They actually put the baby in a great deal of harm by leaving it alone like that.”

On Friday afternoon, the baby--wearing a pink dress with white lace trim and sandals with bunnies on them--had no shortage of admirers as she waited for social workers at the LAPD’s West Valley station.

Mastro tried to attract the bewildered toddler’s attention with a stuffed animal, while other police officers fed her crackers, waved keys at her and gave her a picture of a puppy.

“I just don’t understand how anyone could leave a kid this cute,” Mastro said.