UNNAMED INFANT CANFIELD - at birth (2010)/ Charged: Mother; Jessie Lauren Canfield - Redondo Beach CA

A former Redondo Beach resident was arrested Wednesday afternoon in
connection with dumping a newborn in a trash bin in the South Bay city,
police said.

Jessie Lauren Canfield, 24, of Santa Barbara, was
arrested about 4:30 p.m. at her home in Santa Barbara, where she now
lives with her sister, the Redondo Beach Police Department said.

A city trash collector found the newborn's body about 9 a.m. Wednesday in
a trash bin that had been placed in front of a home on a city street
for rubbish collection, police said.

Canfield allegedly attended a party at the home over the weekend and was complaining of
cramps, according to police. Detectives interviewed the woman and
determined that she had given birth and dumped the infant in the bin,
Redondo Beach police said.

Canfield is a 2004 graduate of Redondo Union High School. She was taken into custody on suspicion of murder, police said.

A 24-year-old woman who is accused of dumping her newborn girl in a
trash bin told police that she didn't know she was having a baby.Jessie
Canfield was arrested Wednesday, hours after trash collectors found the
newborn's naked body in an overstuffed bin outside a Redondo Beach home.Canfield
had attended a surprise birthday party with family and friends at the
home, before ducking into a bedroom for several hours and giving birth,
police Lt. Joe Hoffman said."She's saying that she didn't know" she was having a baby, and she appeared "distraught over a tragic situation," Hoffman said.After the party, Canfield left for Santa Barbara, where she stays with family.Redondo
Beach investigators found her there and took her to an emergency room
for an examination and treatment before booking her for investigation
of murder at Los Angeles County Jail. The name of her lawyer could not
be immediately determined.Detectives don't know if the baby was
alive when she was dumped in the bin. The baby was found just blocks
from a fire station where unwanted babies can be surrendered.The
Safely Surrendered Baby Law was passed in California in 2001 to allow
parents to give up their babies without fear of prosecution at fire
stations, hospitals and other locations. California is one of at least
46 states with such a law.Through December 2009, a total of 331
babies had been surrendered to authorities since the law went into
effect. Another 151 babies have been found abandoned during that time.

Prosecutors say a woman
accused of dumping her newborn in a trash can in Redondo Beach has been
released from custody pending further investigation. The Los
Angeles County district attorney's office said Friday that the coroner
hasn't determined a cause of death for Jessie Canfield's baby or ruled
the death a homicide. The coroner's tests could take three weeks to
complete. The 24-year-old Santa Barbara woman was arrested
Wednesday, hours after trash collectors found the newborn's body in an
overstuffed trash bin. Police say she allegedly gave birth to a
6-pound baby girl in a bedroom at a party over the weekend, and then
disposed of the baby. Canfield told investigators she didn't know she was pregnant.

Mar 6, 2010 11:45 am US/Pacific
Cops: Woman Gave Birth At Party, Put Baby In Trash
Jessie Canfield, 24, Claims She Didn't Know She Was Pregnant;
Returned To Party After Giving Birth

(CBS) ―
Jessica Canfield, 24, has been arrested for
allegedly abandoning her newborn baby in a trash bin. She apparently
went into labor while at a party.
The body of a newborn was discovered shortly after 9
a.m. Wednesday in a trash container in Redondo Beach.
A 24-year-old California woman who is accused of dumping her newborn
girl in a trash bin told police that she didn't know she was having a
baby.

Jessie Canfield was arrested Wednesday, hours after trash
collectors found the newborn's naked body in an overstuffed bin outside a
Redondo Beach home where she had been attending a party.

Canfield had attended a surprise birthday party with family and friends
at the home, before ducking into a bedroom for several hours and giving
birth, police Lt. Joe Hoffman said.

"She's saying that she didn't know" she was having a baby, and she
appeared "distraught over a tragic situation," Hoffman said.

After the party, Canfield left for Santa Barbara, where she stays with
family.

Redondo Beach investigators found her there and took her to an emergency
room for an examination and treatment before booking her for
investigation of murder at Los Angeles County Jail.

The name of her lawyer could not be immediately determined.

Detectives don't know if the baby was alive when she was dumped in the
bin.

The baby was found just blocks from a fire station where unwanted babies
can be surrendered.

The Safely Surrendered Baby Law was passed in California in 2001 to
allow parents to give up their babies without fear of prosecution at
fire stations, hospitals and other locations.

California is one of at least 46 states with such a law.

Through December 2009, a total of 331 babies had been surrendered to
authorities since the law went into effect.

Another 151 babies have been found abandoned during that time.

Deanne Tilton-Durfee, executive director of the Los Angeles County
Inter-Agency Council on Abuse and Neglect, said it might be time to
consider relaunching a public awareness campaign for the program.

After the law was passed, the county distributed brochures and
advertised the toll-free 1-877-BABY-SAFE phone number on buses.

But the campaign has gone dormant since.

The agency doesn't gather much information about who uses the service
because parents can safely surrender their babies within 72 hours of
birth with no questions asked.

However, Tilton-Durfee said many women who abandon their babies are
teenagers or older moms who can't afford to raise another child.

The women tend to share a "distorted, hysterical" state of mind, she
said, "because they don't know any alternative.

They just want to find the fastest way to dispose of the baby and
believe they can remain anonymous."

Women who intend to abandon their babies usually hide their pregnancies,
Tilton-Durfee said.

Friends and family should talk to women who appear to be pregnant,
asking if they're carrying a child and can use help, she said.

Coroner: Newborn Found in Trash Can Was Suffocated
The baby was found in a trash can outside a home in Redondo Beach on March 3.



KTLA News
11:12 a.m. PDT, May 28, 2010

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. -- A newborn girl found in a Redondo Beach trash died of asphyxia, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's office. The death is being classified as a homicide, according to investigators.

The baby was found March 3 in a garbage can by a trash collector.

The newborn's mother, Jessie Lauren Canfield, 24, was arrested later that day by Redondo Beach police on suspicion of murder.

The District Attorney's office, however, declined to file charges until the cause of death could be determined.

The case will now go back to the District Attorney's office which will decide whether criminal charges will be filed in the case.

Canfield had attended a surprise birthday party with family and friends at the home before ducking into a bedroom for several hours and giving birth, Redondo Beach police Lt. Joe Hoffman said.

The young woman told police "she didn't know" she was having a baby, and she appeared "distraught over a tragic situation," Hoffman said.

Party guests told police that Canfield said she was feeling discomfort and disappeared into a bedroom and was not seen for hours.

She returned and said nothing to anyone about giving birth, Hoffman said.

A Consolidated Disposal employee discovered the 6-pound infant during a routine trash pickup in the 700 block of Irena Avenue, not far from Pacific Coast Highway.

The employee told police the trash can was heavy so he took some garbage off the top and found the infant's body halfway down.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe called the discovery a tragedy that could have been avoided.

"Since 2001, we have had a successful alternative in the Safe Surrender Program, which is designed to prevent abandonments and save precious lives," Knabe said.

"It provides a way for desperate parents to safely surrender their baby without fear of prosecution. Parents or family members can safely surrender their baby at any hospital and every fire station in Los Angeles County."

For more information about the Safe Surrender Program, call (877) BABY-SAFE or visit the Web site www.babysafela.org.

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-redondo-infant-trash,0,5982544.story

No update found.

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