Baby’s body found in trash bin in eastern valley

The body of a newborn girl was discovered in a trash bin at an apartment complex in the eastern valley Saturday night.

Las Vegas police spokesman Marcus Martin said Sunday the baby still had its placenta attached.

Investigators located the baby about 10 p.m. at the Bella Estates Apartment Homes, 5101 E. Twain Ave., near Nellis Boulevard.

Homicide Lt. Lew Roberts said the infant was found by a man who was looking for cans in the trash bin. The baby was full-term, he said.

With so many options available to parents who don't want their newborn babies, Roberts said he is dumbfounded as to why people continue to discard babies like trash.

"Call the Police Department. Call social services," Roberts said. "There are a myriad of options."

One of those options is the Safe Haven law, enacted in 2001, that allows parents to legally leave a child within 30 days of birth at an emergency service provider who can care for the child. It was designed to prevent newborns from being abandoned.

Under the law, t he parents will not suffer criminal consequences for their actions and do not have to answer questions from police.

The baby's identity was not known.

"We'll cover our bases, track the leads and find the person responsible for doing this," Roberts said.

He said detectives have canvassed the neighborhood looking for witnesses.

Several residents at the complex late Sunday afternoon expressed their disgust at the development.

"Somebody is sick in the head," said Domunique McCord, a mother of four. "Somebody needs to go to jail. ... Whoever did that needs a good punishment."

Resident Peter Rogers was more blunt.

"I'd like to find the (expletive) who did this," Rogers said.

Detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department's Abuse and Neglect Detail and Homicide Section are investigating. The Clark County coroner's office will determine the official cause of death.

Over the past few years, newborns in Clark County have continued to be found in trash bins, bathrooms and other unsafe places.

On June 10, 2009, police discovered the body of 21-month-old Shia Travis in a trash bin at the La Mesa Apartments, 560 Sierra Vista Ave., near Swenson Street.

Authorities first called her Baby Jane Vista Doe.

Police arrested William Marshall, then 37, in connection with her slaying.

Marshall, now 40, is accused of killing and sexually assaulting the toddler. Prosecutors have said they will pursue the death penalty.

In September 2009, 19-year-old Carmela Camero was arrested after police allege she suffocated her baby at her Henderson home in late August. Police also tied her to another baby death, the dumping of a stillborn infant in a trash bin at the MGM Mirage in June 2006. Police did not recommend criminal charges in that case.

Camero, who was 16 at the time, told detectives she panicked after giving birth in a hotel room. She wrapped the baby in a towel and tossed the bundle in a trash bin outside her room, police said.

Camero, 21, remains in the Clark County Detention Center awaiting her trial on a charge of murder in the 2009 death .

On Mother's Day 2008, a baby boy was found dead, shrouded in a pillowcase and towels inside a gift bag in a restroom at the Excalibur. The baby still had its umbilical cord intact. Police have yet to identify the newborn's parents.

A man, who identified himself as a relative of a baby boy, took advantage of the Safe Haven law in April 2010.

The 2-day-old boy was legally dropped off at a Clark County Fire Department station near Lake Mead and Nellis boulevards. Paramedics inspected the boy, who was in good condition, and transported him to University Medical Center.

Anyone with information pertaining to who placed the infant in the trash bin or the identity of the baby is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or homicide investigators at 702-828-3521.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at
aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.