A baby was found dead Monday in a dumpster at a construction site in Florida, WPLG Local 10 News reported.
David Vazquez, a construction worker assigned to a roofing site, called Hollywood police after he discovered the infant at approximately 8 a.m. outside an apartment building, according to Local 10.
“When I opened the bag, I saw it was the baby, but it had already died,” Vazquez told the outlet in Spanish. “I smelled a strong odor and wanted to see it.”
“IT’S PREVENTABLE” – As Hollywood police continue to investigate the disturbing discovery of a dead baby in a construction site dumpster Monday, a board member for a South Florida nonprofit says it’s a tragedy that was ultimately preventable. https://t.co/gu3Br7mBAf
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) January 9, 2024
Homicide detectives are investigating the death, calling on anyone with footage possibly useful in their search for a suspect to come forward, the outlet reported.
“If you live near this area, this is the 1700 block of Rodman Street in the city of Hollywood, and you have a Ring camera and you believe that you have some kind of footage on your Ring camera or on your doorbell camera, please don’t hesitate to call us,” Officer Christian Lata, spokesman for the Hollywood Police Department, stated, according to WPLG.
Lata said Tesla vehicles have 24/7 surveillance features and urged residents near the crime scene who own such a vehicle to “take a second, look at your vehicle, see if you have anything that would be useful to us,” according to the outlet. (RELATED: Video Shows Elementary School Principal Coming Face-To-Face With Dumpster-Diving Bear)
A board member for A Safe Haven For Newborns, a nonprofit seeking to protect babies from abandonment and assist pregnant women in crisis, said the infant’s death could have been prevented, the outlet reported. Board member and former emergency responder Joel Gordon explained Florida law allows for anonymous relinquishing of a child at fire stations and hospitals. Gordon’s organization was established for outcomes such as this.
“When we hear about this, we’re completely brokenhearted, not because it’s a tragedy, but because it’s preventable,” Gordon said, the outlet reported.