Body of Newborn Girl Found in a Dumpster at Montebello Motel
The body of a newborn girl was found wrapped in a plastic grocery bag Thursday in a trash dumpster behind a motel, Montebello police and residents said.
Montebello police and a coroner’s deputy did not say how the full-term infant died, or whether the child had visible injuries. An autopsy is pending.
A passerby looking for aluminum cans discovered the body Thursday morning, said John Watkins, who lives nearby. The infant appeared to have been there for a few hours by the time police arrived at the Californian Motel before 11 a.m., said Officer Michael Bergman.
An infant’s orange dress had been placed next to the child, Bergman said, but the body was not clothed.
Police have not identified the Latino infant and are asking anyone with information about the child to contact them.
Susila L. Laxmanbhai and her husband Larry, who own the Californian Motel, said they had not heard anything unusual in the back alley, which is used by both motel patrons and residents.
The dumpster was emptied Wednesday. The lid was closed but it did not have a lock, she said. On Thursday, the Laxmanbhais said they placed an order for a dumpster with a lock on it.
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