Calif. woman arrested after newborn baby found in gas station restroom trash can
03/10/2023 11:40 am PST
FULLERTON, Calif. (TCD) -- A 25-year-old woman is in custody after allegedly abandoning her newborn baby in a gas station trash can.
On Thursday, March 9, shortly after 3:30 p.m., Fullerton Police officers responded to a business on the 900 block of West Orangethorpe Avenue, where they found a newborn baby in a restroom trash can. Officers performed lifesaving measures, and the Fullerton Fire Department transported the baby to a hospital.
According to KTTV-TV, the gas station clerk was the one who called 911 after finding the newborn.
Police said the newborn is in "critical but stable condition."
According to an update posted by police, detectives used surveillance footage and initiated an investigation and search on the 400 block of West Orangethorpe Avenue. As a result, police arrested 25-year-old Venissa Maldonado on charges of attempted murder and felony child abuse.
Police said in their news release that the Safely Surrendered Baby Law allows anyone to surrender a baby "within 72 hours of birth" to a hospital or fire station with no questions asked.
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