Coroner IDs baby found dead in trash bin

The newborn girl found in a trash bin outside a central valley apartment complex earlier this month has been identified by the Clark County coroner as Baby Girl Robinson, but it could be weeks before the coroner determines whether the child was stillborn.

Assistant coroner John Fudenberg said the baby was found 28 days after the mother, who has not been identified because she is a minor, told authorities she gave birth.

The infant's first name is a placeholder because she was never officially named.

Fudenberg said the baby appeared to have been carried to full-term. He said it's possible the coroner may never be able to say definitively whether the child was stillborn or not. The baby's cause and manner of death also have not been determined yet.

A maintenance worker for Rancho Mesa apartments, 2881 N. Rancho Drive, near Decatur Boulevard, found the baby's body early the morning of July 18.  

Las Vegas police later said the mother was a teenager who kept her pregnancy a secret from family and friends, gave birth at home and kept the infant's body hidden for about a month before disposing of it.

Police spokesman Marcus Martin said investigators are waiting on the coroner's determination of how the baby died. Police identified the mother soon after the body was found but did not disclose her identity or age because she is a minor.

Clark County's Department of Family Services won't get involved until that determination is made and won't have a role to play if the child were stillborn, spokeswoman department spokeswoman Christine Skorupski said.