A 4-month-old baby girl, identified by family as Luna, was found unresponsive inside a dumpster in South Los Angeles on
September 28, 2026.
Los Angeles police responded around 10:30 p.m. to the 5200 block of Alba Street after receiving a report that an infant had been found inside a trash bin.
Firefighters transported the baby to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Police arrested 19-year-old Takiyah Rochelle Babers, identifying her as the baby’s biological mother.
She was initially booked on suspicion of murder.
Prosecutors have now charged Babers with murder and felony assault on a child causing death.
She remains held on $2 million bail, and her next court date is scheduled for October 30.
She has not entered a plea.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has now reported that Luna’s cause of death was blunt trauma.
According to reporting by the Los Angeles Times, security footage showed Babers placing the baby’s body into the dumpster.
Luna had reportedly been cared for by her foster grandparents, Laura Lacy and Herman Johnson, who have publicly expressed their grief following her death.
The death of a child is a devastating reminder of the responsibility adults and communities have to recognize danger, protect vulnerable children, and speak up when something isn’t right.
The case remains active, and our hearts are with everyone grieving Luna’s loss. 🩵
