Body of Newborn Found at Ft. Irwin

San Bernardino County officials are investigating the death of a baby boy found in the trash at Ft. Irwin military base in the Mojave Desert.

The newborn, who appeared full-term and either white or Latino, was found Tuesday afternoon by sanitation workers who were moving household waste from a processing center to a landfill. Autopsy results are expected Friday.

Police had few clues Wednesday.

“Our only leads seem to be trying to locate a woman on or near the base who was recently pregnant,” said Chip Patterson, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

“We’re checking hospitals and medical offices in the surrounding area to see if a woman checked in seeking medical attention associated with a recent birth.”

The infant was found in trash that comes directly from the Army base, leading sheriff’s deputies to believe that he might have been born to a woman who lives at the sprawling training center 37 miles northeast of Barstow.

“It could have been placed there by anyone, although investigators feel it’s likely it came from someone on the base,” Patterson said. “It’s a big installation. [There are] a lot of families on the base.”

Investigators urge anyone with information about the case to call Det. Ron Miller at (909) 387-3589.

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Times staff writer Seema Mehta contributed to this report.