Baby found dead in Long Beach trash bin

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- The body of an 18-month-old boy was found in a trash bin Friday in a Long Beach alley, police said.

The Dumpster where the baby was found is in a relatively residential area of Long Beach. There are apartment homes and a retirement home in the immediate area.

Investigators searched through a large, green rollaway trash bin sitting off of the alley on the 300 block of Linden Avenue. That's where a man made the gruesome discovery Friday afternoon. Police say the man was looking through the Dumpster for bottles.

"The only thing we know about the child right now is that he is an African-American male, about 18 months of age, deceased, found in a Dumpster," said Lisa Massacani, Long Beach Police Department. "Right now his identity and cause of death and the circumstances surrounding that are undetermined at this point."

Air7 was overhead shortly after Long Beach police got the call, around 4 p.m.

Residents spoke to the man who claimed he discovered the lifeless child.

"When he dug down in there, he saw the leg, the foot and the leg first. And then he moved the box on top of him. He moved the box and saw the baby," said Long Beach resident Lorenzo Thompson.

"He said the child was pretty badly beaten. And had some stab wounds," said Keith Gore, another Long Beach resident.

It is not known how long the baby had been in the Dumpster. However, on Friday night a woman showed up on the scene and told police her young grandson had been missing since Friday afternoon.

Residents are alarmed by the disturbing discovery.

"It's a child. I mean, they're innocent. Who would harm an innocent child? The child could do nothing that would be deserving of this," said Gore.

If you have any information about this case, you should call the Long Beach Homicide Bureau at (562) 570-7244.

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