Pregnant woman abandons infant in shopping cart at California 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, California.

The agency said the baby, who is believed to be 7 to 9 months old, was left behind at a store on the Pacific Coast Highway on Tuesday. A pregnant woman was captured on surveillance video entering the business around 5 p.m. carrying the infant in her arms before placing her in a shopping cart.

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.

The sheriff’s department said in a statement Thursday that detectives had spoken with family members of the abandoned infant and had identified the child and the pregnant mother.

The mother and the baby’s names were not released. The incident remains under investigation.

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.