A 19-year-old mother is facing murder charges after her 4-month-old daughter was found dead in a South Los Angeles dumpster. Investigators have not yet determined how the infant died.
Takiyah Rochelle Babers was charged Thursday with one count of murder and one felony count of assault on a child causing death, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
Babers remains in custody on $2 million bail. Her arraignment was postponed Thursday, and she did not enter a plea. Her next court hearing is set for Oct. 30.
The charges were filed days after the infant, identified as Luna Babers, was found inside a trash container near the Pueblo Del Rio housing project.
Newton Division officers responded at about 10:30 p.m. Monday to the 5200 block of Alba Street after receiving a radio call about a “death investigation.” Officers found the baby unresponsive inside the dumpster.
Los Angeles firefighters and paramedics took Luna to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Authorities said the infant had been placed in the container sometime during the previous 24 hours.
The investigation into Luna’s death remains ongoing, and officials have not identified a cause of death.
The discovery has devastated Luna’s family. The baby had been in the care of her grandmother, Laura Lacy, and Lacy’s partner, Herman Johnson.
On Monday night, the couple dropped Luna off at the apartment where Babers, Lacy’s foster daughter, had been staying.
The following morning, after learning that Luna was missing, the grandparents hurried back to the area. They soon learned that the infant had died.
Lacy has accused Babers of intentionally killing her daughter.
“I think it was premeditated. She did this on purpose. No way you’re gonna call somebody to pick up your baby… and then you do this,” Lacy told ABC 7.
Police named Babers as a suspect during the investigation and arrested her Tuesday.
Authorities said she was taken into custody without incident and booked on suspicion of murder.
