The mother of a newborn baby found abandoned under pieces of asphalt has been identified and arrested, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Monday.
News of the newborn — discovered in a riverbed,
— made headlines across the country.
But authorities didn’t know who abandoned the baby, or why.
On Monday, the sheriff’s office said it had arrested Porche Laronda Washington, 33. She is charged with attempted murder and child endangerment.
The sharing of the story through the media and the public created the leads that led to the mother, the sheriff’s department said.
The baby remains hospitalized and is in good medical condition, authorities said.
On November 27, passers-by who heard a baby crying called 911. Two deputies found the newborn under pieces of asphalt and debris inside a crevice.
Paramedics treated her at the scene before transporting her to the hospital where she was listed in stable condition.
Police said the baby girl was only 36 to 48 hours old and lucky to have survived.