A baby’s body was found in a dumpster early Monday, January 8, 2024, in Hollywood, Florida.
A construction worker from Infinity Roofing, David Vasquez, while disposing of debris, detected a foul odor coming from the dumpster, leading to the grim discovery of an infant’s body inside a box. Vasquez said it looked like a newborn and thought the bag had been in the dumpster over the weekend. The dumpster was situated near an apartment building at 1741 Rodman Street.
A representative from Infinity called 911 to alert authorities of the discovery. Emergency responders were dispatched and, upon arrival, pronounced the baby boy dead at the scene.
The incident has sparked a widespread investigation by Hollywood Police. Homicide detectives are actively involved, piecing together how the baby died and who the parents might be. Authorities are calling on the local community for assistance.
Officer Christian Lata, a spokesman for the Hollywood Police Department, urged residents in the vicinity, especially those with Ring cameras or Teslas with surveillance features, to check their footage for any potential leads that might aid the investigation.
Long-time Hollywood resident Eugene Yakymiw referred to the incident as “gut-wrenching,” adding that he had never seen anything like this in his 40 years of living in the area. “It’s shocking, it’s disgusting.”
Joel Gordon, a board member for A Safe Haven For Newborns, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing baby abandonment, emphasized the tragedy’s preventability. “When we hear about this, we’re completely brokenhearted, not because it’s a tragedy, but because it’s preventable,” Gordon stated, highlighting Florida laws that allow for the anonymous relinquishment of children at fire stations and hospitals.
Disposal of a newborn can have dire consequences. In 2019, in Palm Beach County, Florida, a one-day-old baby was discovered alive in a dumpster. The incident led to the arrest and subsequent sentencing of the baby’s mother in 2022.
The mother was found guilty of abandoning her newborn baby, which resulted in her receiving a prison sentence of 7.5 years.
As this investigation continues, Hollywood Police are appealing to anyone with information to come forward. For more information or to provide tips, individuals are encouraged to contact the Hollywood Police Department.
