Mother says she discarded her baby

She tells detectives the newborn, found in a Lynwood park, was the result of a rape in Guatemala.

A 22-year-old woman who is accused of discarding her newborn boy in a trash bin at a Lynwood park earlier this month told authorities the baby was the result of a rape that had occurred in Guatemala shortly before she immigrated to the United States.

Los Angeles County sheriff ’s detectives arrested the woman Thursday on suspicion of child abandonment.

A woman visiting Yvonne Burke-John D. Ham Park this month heard whimpering from a trash bin in a women’s restroom. Inside the bin, she found an infant among the rubbish.

There was evidence the boy had been delivered in the bathroom, and authorities said he appeared to be a day or two old when found.

Detectives reviewed video surveillance from a local business that showed two women and a child with a pink tricycle.

At a nearby apartment complex, a resident identified the people in the photo and led the detectives to their apartment.

During the investigation, the 22-year-old woman admitted that she had given birth to the baby June 9 and discarded him out of fear, authorities said.

She told detectives she had come to the U.S. illegally from Guatemala two months earlier, and no one had known she was pregnant.

The baby was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition.

Many people inquired about adopting the child, including investigators from the Sheriff’s Department, fire personnel and nurses who treated the boy.

An adoption process was initiated for the baby, who was placed into the care of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

California law allows parents or guardians to surrender a newborn at hospitals or fire stations without legal repercussions.