BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — BAKERSFIELD, Calif (KBAK/KBFX) Bakersfield police officers responded to a distressing scene early Monday morning when a newborn was found unresponsive near a dumpster behind a Wingstop on Panama Lane, near South H Street.
The infant was pronounced dead at the scene. The baby’s mother, reportedly homeless, was present and taken to a hospital.
A woman at the scene expressed her dismay, saying, “I think she had options that she shouldn’t have threw it in the trash can that’s for sure. That’s wrong.”
The area is known to attract a large homeless population, according to a local resident whose daughter works nearby.
This tragic incident coincides with Kern County’s Safe Surrendered Baby Awareness Month.
A newborn baby was found dead near a dumpster on Panama Lane early Monday morning. Police said the mother of the infant was taken to a hospital. PHOTO: KBAK/KBFX
The Kern County Human Services website highlights a law allowing parents to legally, confidentially, and safely surrender their newborns within three days of birth at any fire station or emergency room. Since its enactment, 105 babies have been safely surrendered in the county.
Alexander Clark of the Bakersfield Fire Department emphasized the importance of the child’s wellbeing.
“We just want the best for the baby. There’s a lot of families out there that would be happy to take in a newborn. And we just want that child to have a safe place to go,” he said.
A newborn baby was found dead near a dumpster on Panama Lane early Monday morning. Police said the mother of the infant was taken to a hospital. PHOTO: KBAK/KBFX
Once surrendered, social services work to find a home for the child after addressing their medical needs.
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Clark added, “Social services will reach out to families that are on a standby list. And they will contact that family and basically provide them that baby a safe loving environment until the child has an opportunity to find a full-time foster family.”