Two babies found alone during last 24 hours

Costa Rican authorities reported two separate cases of abandoned infants during the last 24 hours in León XIII, Tibás, and Pérez Zeledón, San José.

On Monday afternoon, a baby girl was reportedly found in a trash can in the neighborhood of León XIII in northern San José, according to several news sources. Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) Director Francisco Segura told the daily La Nación that the child’s mother and a friend may have lied about finding the newborn in the trash as part of a scheme to hide its birth from the mother’s parents.

Authorities took the child to the National Children’s Hospital where it was found to be in “perfect” health. Segura told the newspaper that while the circumstances were odd the child was never actually abandoned and that “there was no crime.” 

The OIJ also reported that a newborn baby was found Tuesday morning supposedly abandoned in an empty lot in Pérez Zeledón, San José. Neighbors in Hoyón said they heard the infant’s cries and followed them to the child. They called the Costa Rican Red Cross, who took the child to Escalante Pradilla Hospital, where they pronounced the newborn in stable condition, according to a statement from OIJ.

OIJ said they soon found the mother, 18, in the neighborhood. Police said that the Public Security Ministry has yet to determine if the mother will be charged with any crime.