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Woman at Party Allegedly Gave Birth to Baby Before Dumping It

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Redondo Beach police quickly made an arrest after a newborn was found dead in a trash can Wednesday morning. 24-year-old Jessie Lauren Canfield, a former Redondo Beach High School student currently living in Santa Barbara, was arrested on suspicion of murder. The circumstances reported around the death may make your head spin. The Daily Breeze explains:

[Canfield] gave birth to the baby while attending a weekend party at the home over the weekend, and allegedly stashed the 6-pound girl in the trash. Party guests told police that Canfield said she was feeling discomfort and disappeared into a bedroom and was not seen for hours. She returned and said nothing to anyone about giving birth, Redondo Beach police Lt. Joe Hoffman said.

Whether or not the baby was born alive or dead was unknown. A trash collector discovered the baby as he removed items from a 64-gallon trash can to lighten it up so it could be lifted into the truck. Police said she was buried halfway deep into the bin, which was located a couple blocks from the Pacific Coast Highway on the 700 block of Irena Avenue.

Under L.A. County's Safe Surrender Program, parents of newborns can surrender their baby at hospitals or fire stations without fear or prosecution. “Tragedies like this do not have to happen in this County and in our communities," said L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe.

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