Investigators Seek Information on Abandoned Baby and Person of Interest
On Thursday, June 17, 2021, Special Victims Bureau detectives held a press conference to discuss the circumstances surrounding the abandonment of a newborn baby. They asked anyone with information to help identify a person of interest.
On Friday, June 11, 2021, at approximately 8:00 a.m. a newborn Hispanic and/or African American baby boy was found by a park patron in a public restroom at Yvonne Burke-John D. Ham Park, in the city of Lynwood, CA. As the park visitor entered the restroom, she heard a “whimpering noise” coming from a trashcan and upon inspecting it, she found a baby amongst trash. She rescued the baby and called 911. Deputies assigned to the Century Sheriff’s Station as well as personnel from the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded and rendered aid. The baby was transported to the hospital and was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit where he is listed in stable condition.
The parents of the baby have not been identified and detectives are looking for a person of interest seen on surveillance video. Throughout the investigation, the detectives learned these females may have some information that can potentially be helpful. She is a female Hispanic, late teens to early 20’s, 5’4, 120-125lbs, dark complexion, and wavy hair. The person was seen at the park with another female, who was wearing a light colored cardigan and had a small child that was pushing a pink trike stroller.
California has a Safely Surrendered Baby Law, which gives parents or guardians the choice to legally and safely surrender their baby at any hospital or fire station in Los Angeles County, with no questions asked. Since the program first launched in 2001, over 180 newborns have been safely surrendered in Los Angeles County.
A silver lining of this unfortunate situation is that there have been numerous inquiries about adopting the baby boy, including personnel from the Sheriff’s and Fire Department, as well as the responding paramedics and nurses that treated the baby in the hospital. He is now under the care and custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. Information on the adoption process can be found at dcfs.lacounty.gov/caregivers/adoption/ or the Adoption and Foster Recruitment line at (888) 811-1121.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Special Victims Bureau at (562) 946-8200 or by email at [email protected]. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile App on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or use the website http://lacrimestoppers.org/.
