The baby boy’s body found last week near a trash can at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area in South El Monte was stillborn, a detective said on Wednesday, May 3.
However, investigators still want to talk to the mother who they had not yet identified, sheriff’s Lt. Hugo Reynaga said.
The doctor who examined the body believes he was a second trimester baby and didn’t think he would have survived outside the womb, Reynaga said. The coroner’s office is doing a toxicology test.
The body was discovered at the section of the park in the 1200 block of Lerma Road around 8 a.m. Friday, April 28.
A man doing community service was about to empty a trash can when he saw the baby lying face down on the grass next to the trash can, Reynaga said. The umbilical cord and the placenta were still attached.
There were no signs of trauma on the body. The baby had probably been at the park overnight, the lieutenant said.
Sheriff’s detectives asked anyone with information about the body to call them at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tipsters can contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or at lacrimestoppers.org.
