Newborn Found Buried Alive

Two sisters hear baby crying while taking a walk
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 29, 2015 1:50 PM CST
Newborn Found Buried Alive
This photo shows a deputy holding an infant girl where she was found abandoned under asphalt and rubble, lower left, near a bike path in Compton, Calif.   (Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department via AP)

Two sisters were out taking a walk in Compton, Calif., on Friday afternoon when they heard a baby crying—or was it a cat? Evangelina McCrary and Angelica Blount weren't sure, but two deputies soon responded to their call and found a newborn buried alive under rubble and pieces of asphalt on a bike path by a riverbed, CBS News reports. The child was inside what's being described as a crevice. "The baby was wrapped in a blanket and cold to the touch," says Sgt. Marvin Jaramilla of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. CBS Los Angeles notes that officials later confirmed the blanket was the type provided by hospitals. Paramedics took the baby to the hospital, where she's reported to be in stable condition.

"I know we living in some bad times, but damn," says a nearby resident and grandfather. "They need to catch this person. You know, you need to go to jail. That's the place for you." Indeed, ABC7 reports that the person who discarded the child could face attempted murder and child endangerment charges. The baby was likely born no more than 48 hours before being discovered, which NBC Los Angeles points out falls within the "Safe Surrender window": Parents can leave a newborn at a hospital or fire station, no questions asked and without the prospect of prosecution, within 72 hours of birth. The AP reports that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was continuing to search for the girl's mother. (Police were able to track down the mother who left her newborn in the manger of a Nativity scene.)

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