13-year-old identified as mother of baby abandoned in dumpster
MERCED, Calif. — Authorities in Central California say they have identified a 13-year-old girl as the mother of a newborn baby abandoned last week in a trash bin.
Merced Police Capt. Tom Trindad said Monday that investigators are still collecting all the facts before turning the case over to prosecutors, who will decide if the girl faces criminal charges or not. For now, the young mother remains in the care of authorities.
The hours-old baby girl was found Thursday by a man looking for cans and bottles in the trash bin near an apartment complex in the city of Merced.
Trindad says the baby is healthy and thriving and could eventually be put up for adoption.
Trindad says investigators are also trying to determine if the baby was the result of sexual abuse.
