Police: California Mother Arrested More Than a Year After Newborn Was Found Next to Dumpster on a Rainy Day

More than a year after a newborn baby was found abandoned in a dumpster on a rainy day in Riverside, California, police say they have arrested the infant’s mother. On May 4, 2025, authorities received reports of a baby crying inside a dumpster at an apartment complex on Jackson Street, the Los Angeles Times reported. When Riverside Police Department officers arrived on the scene, a resident had just found the baby, who was next to the dumpster alive and “crying, with his umbilical cord still attached.” It was raining when the baby was found outside unprotected. Paramedics rushed the baby boy to a nearby hospital — authorities believe he had been born just hours prior to being discovered. He was listed in stable condition at the time. The infant survived and remains in the custody of Child Protective Services (CPS), Fox 11 reported Friday. The department conducted an investigation and ultimately identified the baby’s alleged mother as 26-year-old Riverside resident Astrid Nohemi Lopez Ramos, according to the report. Police arrested Ramos on September 17 and booked her into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of child endangerment. Her bail was set at $35,000, per the report. California has a Safe Haven law, called the Safely Surrendered Baby Law, which allows parents and legal guardians to safely and legally surrender a baby within 72 hours after birth to any hospital or fire station. To learn more about the state’s law, visit babysafela.com or call the helpline at 1-877-222-9723. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Jessica Iniguez at (951) 353-7121, or Detective Jarid Zuetel at (951) 826-8714. Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.