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COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — More details have emerged in the case of the newborn baby boy discovered in a dumpster behind a Columbus motel.
The Columbus Police Department reported that on September 2, officers were called to the Budgetel Inn and Suites on Victory Drive after a newborn was found in a dumpster.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mother arrested after admitting to leaving newborn baby in dumpster, police say
Police said the investigation that followed revealed the baby’s mother as 22-year-old Zinnia Hernandez.
Hernandez appeared in Recorder’s Court Friday afternoon, where more details emerged about the initial investigation.
Investigators revealed that Hernandez confessed immediately after being confronted by Columbus Police officers.
Sergeant Bradley Waldie stated that the baby had been in the dumpster for 5-6 hours before a motel worker, who heard its cries, discovered it. The baby was wrapped in two trash bags and surrounded by miscellaneous garbage, according to Waldie.
Hernandez is also mother of a 1-year-old daughter, who was taken into custody of the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services (DFACS).
Hernandez is currently in custody with a $20,000 bond. She faces charges of attempted murder, abandonment of a child, first-degree cruelty to children, and reckless conduct.
The Columbus Police Department highlights Georgia’s Safe Haven Law, which permits a mother to leave her baby, up to 30 days old, at designated locations such as hospitals, fire stations, or police stations without facing criminal charges, provided the infant is handed over to staff.
This law exists to ensure the safety and well-being of newborns.
