Infant abandoned in shopping cart at Lomita store

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department sought help this week to find the woman who abandoned an infant at a store in Lomita.

The agency said the baby, who is believed to be 7 to 9 months old, was left behind at a business on the 2000 block of Pacific Coast Highway. A pregnant woman entered the business around 5 p.m. carrying the infant in her arms.

According to law enforcement, the woman asked a store employee for a taxi. While the employee arranged for a taxi, the woman went to the restroom. Once the vehicle arrived, the woman left the store and left the baby behind in a shopping cart.

It is unclear where the woman headed to.

The infant has since been placed into the care of the Department of Children and Family Services.

In an update Thursday, authorities said they identified the woman.

“Detectives spoke with family members of the abandoned infant who identified her and the biological mother,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement on Thursday morning. “The investigation is ongoing. There is no additional information available at this time.”

Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to contact Lomita Sheriff’s Station at 310-539-1661. Anonymous tips can be made by contacting Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.