Mother Arrested After Infant Found Dead in South Los Angeles Dumpster
Authorities identified the infant as four-month-old Luna, who had six toes on her left foot, a trait shared by her grandparents.
A 19-year-old mother was arrested Tuesday in connection with the death of her four-month-old daughter, whose body was discovered in a dumpster in South Los Angeles. The discovery was made around 10:30 p.m. Monday in the 5200 block of Alba Street, across from Holmes Avenue Elementary School.
Martha Serrano Jimenez, a local resident, was disposing of trash when she noticed a heavy black plastic bag in the dumpster. Upon closer inspection with a cellphone flashlight, she initially believed the contents to be a doll before realizing it was an infant. Her daughter called 911, and neighbors attempted CPR while waiting for emergency services.
Later, around 4 a.m. Tuesday, the infant's grandparents, Herman Johnson and Laura Lacy, saw a news report detailing a dead infant found with six toes on her left foot, a characteristic their granddaughter Luna possessed. They went to Johnson's apartment, located near the dumpster site.
Serrano Jimenez later confirmed to investigators that the infant she found was the same child pictured in a photo shown by the grandparents. The baby's grandfather, Herman Johnson, expressed his grief, stating, "To be found in a dumpster, a dirty dumpster. It just broke my heart."
Police officers secured the mother's apartment as a crime scene. When questioned, the mother reportedly showed a cellphone photo claiming the baby was safe, but Lacy recognized it as an older video based on the child's clothing and noted the baby's car seat was unused in the bedroom.
The Los Angeles Police Department's Homicide and Abused Child Units are investigating the circumstances surrounding the infant's death. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office is working to officially identify the baby and determine the cause of death. Formal charges against the mother have not yet been announced.