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Police Seeking Person Of Interest After Baby Abandoned In Walmart Bathroom
A baby was left on the floor next to a toilet in a locked stall that was undergoing repairs at a Walmart in Lakewood, California.
A baby was abandoned inside a Walmart in Lakewood, California and police are asking for the public's help in tracking down a person of interest in the case.
The baby boy was found alone inside the men’s bathroom of the store on Oct. 8, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department. The boy was discovered on the tile floor next to a toilet in a locked stall that was undergoing repairs, KTLA 5 in Los Angeles reports.
The infant is described as African-American, between 12 and 15 months years old, and weighing approximately 20 pounds, police said on Monday.
“The baby was discovered by a Walmart customer who immediately notified a store employee,” police said. “Since the incident, the child’s parents and/or guardians have yet to be identified and nobody has reported the child missing.”
Police reviewed Walmart video footage and determined a person of interest. They have released a video still of the person. Police have also released a photo and description of a car the man is believed to be driving: a beige- or gold-colored 2000-2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo.
At a Monday press conference, Lt. Todd Deeds told reporters that this man exhibited what appeared to be unusual behavior: he parked as far away from the store as possible and headed directly to the bathroom. He also had a backpack on that appeared to decrease in size after the bathroom visit.
"He may have a perfectly valid reason why his backpack looked full when he walked in and why it didn't look full when he walked out, and why he parked so far away. We don't know," Deeds said, as reported by KTLA. "He may have a valid reason as to why he did what he did, or his actions, but we need to talk to him. We need to find out firsthand.”
Although police do not know the identity of the baby, Deeds said that at the press conference that he is doing okay and is being cared for.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Special Victims Bureau toll free tip line at (877) 710-5273 or by email at specialvictimsbureau@lasd.org. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call "Crime Stoppers" by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), or use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP or “P3 Mobile” for the hearing impaired on Google play or the App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org/
