A woman detained in connection with the death of a baby girl found Monday night in a dumpster in Los Angeles’ Central Alameda neighborhood has been arrested on suspicion of murder, police announced Tuesday evening.
The 4-month-old girl was found inside the dumpster at about 10:30 p.m. in the 1800 block of East 52nd Street, directly across from Holmes Avenue Elementary School.
“Someone was dumping trash and I guess saw the body in the dumpster and called 911,” Los Angeles Police Department Juvenile Division Lt. Dave Hoskins said. “The body was found wrapped in a blanket.”
Los Angeles Fire Department personnel arrived at the scene and took the baby girl to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead.
The woman who discovered the girl told reporters at the scene Tuesday morning that she first believed the infant was a doll. The baby was wearing shorts and gloves, KTLA’s Erin Myers reported.
Police detained a young woman later that morning but did not confirm whether she was the baby’s mother until Tuesday evening, when authorities announced her arrest.
“The LAPD’s Juvenile Division-Abused Child Section responded and investigated the circumstances leading to the child’s death,” police officials stated in a news release. “Through their investigation, detectives identified the suspect as 19-year-old Takiyah Babers.
“Babers is a resident of Los Angeles and is the biological mother of the victim.”
A couple who spoke with KTLA Tuesday morning said Babers was their foster daughter and that they believed the infant who died was her child.
Herman Johnson and Laura Lacy said they saw the baby wearing gloves Monday night, which they believed were meant to prevent her from scratching herself.
Johnson and Lacy said their foster daughter gave different accounts throughout the morning. They said she initially claimed she had the baby before later saying the father had the child.
“She just seemed strange,” Johnson said. “Anytime she called me to come over here and take the baby, you know, it was strange to me. She couldn’t control the baby. So, that’s when me and Laura took the baby and we had the baby ever since the baby was like two weeks old.”
The foster mother was deeply upset after police took her daughter away in handcuffs.
“I have no love for her. Why? Because she had no love for that innocent baby. I don’t feel nothing for her,” Lacy said. However, she also wanted answers from her foster daughter. “I love her and I still want to know why. What was the problem? Why did you do that? You had no reason to do that. I was taking care of your child for you. Didn’t even go in the system. I was going to do it. I’m the grandma.”
Johnson and Lacy left the scene shortly afterward and went to the medical examiner’s office and police station to assist with the investigation, Myers reported.
A vigil for the baby girl, identified as Luna in a GoFundMe created to help pay for her burial, took place Tuesday evening at the intersection of Holmes Avenue and 52nd Street, near where authorities found her.
“While authorities continue their investigation and further details are pending, tonight’s focus is on the child and on a community coming together to care for its own,” an announcement for the vigil stated.
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