May 19, 2009 9:09 pm US/Pacific
Dead Infant Found In Union City Dumpster
UNION CITY (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
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Two lit candles sit on the side of a dumpster at the Parkside Apartments in Union City where an infant's body was found in the dumpster.
CBS
Union City police were looking Tuesday for the mother of a newborn baby girl whose body was found by a person rummaging through trash in an apartment complex dumpster.
Police said the newborn's body was found around 8:40 p.m. Monday at the Parkside Apartments at 1501 Decoto Road in Union City. The man who made the gruesome discovery alerted another person nearby who called police.
The baby appeared to be full-term and had her umbilical cord still attached, said Lt. Kelly Musgrove.
Officials were performing an autopsy Tuesday to determine the exact cause of death. Musgrove said detectives were continuing to investigate how long the baby had been inside the trash bin and were also trying to locate the mother of the child.
Under state law, mothers may surrender their child to designated places, including police and fire stations, within 72 hours of birth if they believe they can't care for the child.
Police said the death could have been avoided because there are police and fire departments located down the street.
California Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, D-Fremont, called the incident "heartbreaking."
"We should never hear about these kinds of tragedies. It breaks my heart hearing about it," said Torrico, who advocated the Safely Surrendered Baby Law.
Torrico is working on two bills that would extend the 72-hour period to 30 days and which would also raise funds to create awareness about the issue.
"Young, poor moms are desperate," Torrico said. "We're trying to raise funds to make young women aware of their options to prevent these senseless deaths."
Anyone with information that might assist the Union City investigation was asked by authorities to contact the Union City Police Department at (510) 471-1365, or the anonymous tip line (510) 675-5207. Information can also be sent via email to
tips@unioncity.org.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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