Police Say Infant Dumped in Trash Was Suffocated

A baby boy whose body was dumped in a trash bin over the weekend apparently was suffocated just hours after birth, and the search for his mother continued Monday, police said.

The newborn’s body was found Saturday morning in a large trash bin behind a medical clinic in the 800 block of West 17th Street, Santa Ana Police Lt. Bob Helton said.

The death is being treated as a homicide after the preliminary autopsy at the Orange County coroner’s office showed that the child died from asphyxiation, perhaps as soon as one hour after birth, Helton said.

“No more than 24 hours had passed from the time the child was born, sometime on Friday evening, before he was murdered and dumped into the trash bin,” he said.

Two passersby discovered the child’s body wrapped inside a plastic bag about 9 a.m. Saturday as they were rummaging through the trash bin for recyclables, Helton said.

Investigators spent the weekend contacting hospitals and scouring for leads on the child’s mother.

“So far, we have very minimal information on this investigation,” Helton said.

Last year, three abandoned babies’ bodies were reported in Santa Ana, but in each of those cases, the mothers were found.

“Clearly, we’re making an appeal to the public to find anyone who can provide us with information on someone who was pregnant but no longer has a child,” Helton said.

“These are very disturbing cases. With the number of people looking to adopt a child, it’s very difficult to understand why someone would harm and kill a child.”

Police ask anyone with information to call Det. Julio Jaramillo at (714) 647-5162.