A newborn girl who was buried alive in the Compton riverbed has managed to defy all odds and survive the ghastly ordeal, according to New York Daily News .
The baby was buried alive on Friday evening near a riverbed located between 136th Street and Slater Avenue in the city of Compton, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Facebook page . The department is now hoping to trace the mother and investigate the probable causes for the abandonment of the newborn girl with the public’s help, the post added.
At around 4 p.m. Friday evening, people passing the riverbed heard an infant’s muffled cries, but even after repeated attempts to locate the baby girl, they could not find her. One of them called the Compton Sheriff’s Station, and according to the Facebook post, deputies Perry and Collette responded to the call and canvassed the area.
After a few minutes of searching, the deputies located a “newborn baby girl buried alive under pieces of asphalt and rubble inside a crevice located along the bike path.”
According to witnesses, the newborn baby girl was wrapped in a blanket and cold to the touch when the deputies rescued her. Once certain that her vital signs were functioning, the deputies rushed the baby girl to a nearby hospital, where she is now in a stable condition. She will remain under observation for the next few days.
Doctors believe the baby girl was born in the last 36 to 48 hours.
The news of the baby girl buried alive in a riverbed comes days after a baby boy was found in a manger at Queens’ Holy Child Jesus Church. Nicknamed “Baby Jesus,” the boy was so young his umbilical cord still sprouted from his belly at the time of his discovery. The custodian who had found him referred to the child as a “miracle baby”.
“I looked around and didn’t see anyone,” he recalled the moment when he found the newborn. “That got me curious. I followed the cries. I walked to the little nativity home we had installed inside the church… I couldn’t believe my eyes. The baby was wrapped in towels. He still had his umbilical cord. He was next to the Virgin (Mary).”
“At least whoever abandoned him brought him to a safe place and didn’t leave him to die,” he added.
Newborn boy found crying in church’s nativity scene with his umbilical cord still attached. https://t.co/iTCPVjEt0v pic.twitter.com/Lef9JVtRp9
— Nightline (@Nightline) November 25, 2015
But while that newborn was abandoned in a place where he could be found safely, the fact that the newborn baby girl was buried alive in the Compton riverbed will be regarded as an act of sheer callousness.
Ever since the Los Angeles County Sheriff posted news of the newborn baby girl on its Facebook page a few hours ago, people have already taken to social media to see if the baby can be identified. Most people expressed relief that the newborn had managed to survive the ordeal.
One person wrote, “So many individuals out there who can’t conceive a baby. Seeing this is very heart breaking. However, she was saved and will bring light to a family who does desire a child.”
While many might not be aware of this, the L.A. County runs a “baby surrender program,” whereby parents who feel that they’re not ready or able to raise a child can simply surrender their child to be raised either by the state or new foster parents.
“There’s a better choice, surrender your baby. A parent stuck in this difficult situation can safely surrender their baby at any hospital or fire station in Los Angeles County, no questions asked,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office added.
The authorities will try and find a new home for the newborn baby girl if her real parents cannot be traced.
[Image via Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department / Facebook]