Girl Reveals Body of Baby She Had in Secret

A 15-year-old Long Beach girl who had secretly given birth over the weekend led police to the baby’s body under her family’s apartment early Monday.

The girl, whose identity was withheld by police, told detectives the baby had been stillborn in the family bathroom late Friday or early Saturday, Long Beach police said.

Her parents did not learn of her pregnancy and notify police until the girl complained of abdominal pains early Monday, Officer Maria Mendez-Lopez said. The baby girl appeared to have been born full-term, Mendez-Lopez said.

“She managed to not make any noise whatsoever [during the birth],” Mendez-Lopez said. “Finally she broke down and told her parents what had happened.”

The girl was taken to Pacific Hospital in Long Beach early Monday, where she was treated and released.

Police found the infant in the crawl space of the apartment in the 3600 block of East 2nd Street.

Mendez-Lopez said the case is still under investigation and that a coroner’s report due later this week may help determine whether the baby was stillborn. She said the child’s father has not come forward.