Police: Baby found in Lakeland dumpster was stillborn, woman charged
LAKELAND, Fla. - Just last week, a baby was found dead inside a dumpster in Lakeland. Now, authorities say the baby was a stillborn, and never took a single breath.
The Lakeland Police Department said the medical examiner's office shared preliminary findings. They found the full-term infant was born dead with a severe brain deformity. Investigators said initial results indicated that there was no foul play in the male baby's death.
Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor said Thursday that the baby's body was found in a dumpster behind a gym on Florida Avenue South. A few days after, police released images of four people who may have known how the baby ended up in the dumpster.
Officers said after releasing those images, a 34-year-old woman, Brusela D'Enstachio-Lugo, came to the police station and cooperated with detectives investigating the case. She admitted to giving birth alone outside of her home during the early morning hours of May 10, the department said.
She told detectives that she didn't know she was pregnant before giving birth to the baby. Officials said she didn't go to the hospital after, because she was in the country illegally and didn't have any money to pay for medical expenses.
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Authorities said she also admitted to putting the infant's remains in the dumpster that evening.
Lakeland police said the State Attorney's Office has charged D’Enstachio-Lugo with a misdemeanor of the first-degree related to the storage of human remains. DNA was collected from the woman and the Department of Homeland Security was contacted.
The case remains active for additional forensic tests that are in progress, the department said.