A newborn baby was found buried alive along a walking path in the Compton area of Los Angeles. Two woman out for a stroll the day after Thanksgiving heard what they thought at first to be a cat crying. Upon closer investigation, Angelica Blount and her sister, Evangelina McCrary, discovered a baby had been buried beneath debris along the walking path.
The incredible moment a cop finds a newborn baby buried alive at the side of the road https://t.co/RNk03AWkHM pic.twitter.com/nSNSvId3HT
— The Sun (@TheSun) November 30, 2015
“She [Evangelina McCrary] told me, ‘Can you hear the baby crying?’ ” Angelica Blount told CNN affiliate KABC . “And I said, ‘I don’t know; it might be a cat.’ And my sister said, ‘No, it’s a baby crying.’ ”
After the women realized that the cries were coming from an abandoned newborn baby, they immediately called 911 for help.
Two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies quickly arrived on scene and began digging out the debris in the crevice where the newborn was buried alive. The baby girl was “cold to the touch” and wrapped in what appeared to be a hospital blanket, the sheriff’s office told the media.
A newborn baby girl has been found buried alive under rubble down a hole in a footpath https://t.co/G8l1rKKMBz pic.twitter.com/IRN5S6IyMt
— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 29, 2015
“There’s indications that the child was born at a medical facility or at a hospital… because of the blanket,” LA Sheriff’s Dept. Sgt. Marvin Jaramilla told local reporters on Saturday. Paramedics treated the newborn found buried alive at the scene and then transported her to a local hospital, KHOU News Channel 11 notes. The baby girl has been placed in protective custody and is currently listed in stable condition.
Los Angeles law enforcement officials said the newborn found buried alive is lucky to have survived and was likely born just 36 to 48 hours after she was found by the sisters out taking a walk.
Jesse Brew, a grandfather and resident who lives near the Compton walking path, said he was upset when he heard about the complete disregard for life by the parent of the newborn.
“I know we living in some bad times, but d**n. They need to catch this person. You know, you need to go to jail. That’s the place for you,” Brew told the media.
Sheriff’s deputies from the Compton station received the 911 call about the newborn baby around 4 p.m. on Friday. The abandoned infant was reportedly found crying in the riverbed located between 136th Street and Slater Avenue.
“We do know that if the child had spent the night there in those conditions the baby wouldn’t have survived,” Sergeant Jaramilla said. “Some parents of newborns can find themselves in difficult circumstances. Sadly, babies are sometimes harmed or abandoned by parents who feel that they’re not ready or able to raise a child.”
Newborn baby girl found buried alive in hole along Compton bike path –> https://t.co/J1FYLLvr6j pic.twitter.com/1uya1SSF8i
— ABC30 Fresno (@ABC30) November 28, 2015
Police officers are currently searching for the parents of the abandoned baby. If found, the individuals could face both child endangerment and murder charges. Los Angeles County has a safe haven law, which allows parents to give up an infant without fear or prosecution within 72 hours after the baby is born. The Baby Safe Surrender Program permits a parent to turn the baby over to a hospital or fire department with “no questions asked.”
Safe Haven laws exists in most municipalities in and states. Such statutes are sometimes also known as “Baby Moses laws,” referencing Bible scripture. Once the unharmed babies are given to someone at a designated entity, the child becomes a ward of the state and could ultimately be placed in foster care or up for adoption.
Los Angeles County detectives from the department’s Special Victims Bureau, urge anyone with information reg the newborn found buried alive to call them at (877) 710-5273.
[Image via Twitter]