A fetus found next to a trash can in an El Monte Park last week was stillborn, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday.
The autopsy report came back Tuesday, and the medical examiner believed the fetus to be stillborn, the LASD said. A toxicology report to determine whether the mother was abusing drugs or other substances was still pending.
The 6- to 7-month-old fetus was found at the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area on the 1200 block of Lerma Road around 8 a.m. by a man emptying trash cans as part of his community service, LASD officials said. The umbilical cord was still attached to the placenta.
The LASD said there are no surveillance cameras at the park, and deputies have not been able to find the mother. The department said investigators want to find the mother to see if she’s OK.
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Authorities want to remind people of LA County’s safe surrender law, which allows anyone to safely surrender a newborn baby to a fire station or hospital within 72 hours of birth.
The county says that since the program was established in 2002, more than 180 newborns have been safely surrendered.
