LASD: Abandoned Child Identified, Along With Mother

LOMITA (CNS) - Sheriff's detectives have identified an infant between seven and nine months old who was abandoned at a business in Lomita, and have also learned the identity of her mother, authorities said Thursday.

Deputies were sent to the 2000 block of Pacific Coast Highway around 5 p.m. Tuesday on a report that a child was abandoned at a store by a pregnant woman who had asked an employee to call for a taxi, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The employee requested the taxi for the woman while she went to the restroom, according to the sheriff's department.

"When the taxi arrived, the woman left the store, leaving the infant behind in a shopping cart," sheriff's officials said in a statement.

The woman entered the taxi, but her destination was unknown, the sheriff's department reported. The infant was placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, and authorities sought the public's help to identify her and her mother.

"On Wednesday ... detectives spoke with family members of the abandoned infant who identified her and the biological mother," the sheriff's department said in a statement on Thursday morning. "The investigation is ongoing. There is no additional information available at this time."

Anyone with information about the case was urged to contact the Lomita Sheriff's Station at 310-539-1661. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.