Police discovered a mother and her two children completely naked, unconscious, and covered in a white powdery substance in a parking lot outside a Los Angeles store on Thursday morning, Oct. 19.
All three were rushed to a hospital where the 2-month-old infant was declared dead, the Los Angeles Times reported. The 26-year-old mother was in critical condition and her 8-year-old child was in stable condition, the New York Times reported.
Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department arrived at the grotesque scene at the intersection of San Pedro and 23rd Streets just before 2 a.m., ABC7 reported.
Woman, girl, infant found naked, unconscious, covered in white powder in South LA. Infant declared dead at scene. https://t.co/YcPCzOUqAs pic.twitter.com/nima7ni23c
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) October 19, 2017
Officer Irma Mota said that police responded to a report of a voice of a woman screaming for help.
First responders placed the woman on a stretcher and transported her to a hospital. She is in critical condition. The condition of the surviving 8-year-old girl was unknown.
According to ABC7, a firefighter was seen carrying what appeared to be the dead infant’s body wrapped in a blanket.
Check this out! (via ABC7 Los Angeles Android app)
Baby found covered in white powder dies in South LAhttps://t.co/5SS0b8czmu
— Jörg (@jm3107) October 19, 2017
Police say that a hazardous materials team dispatched to the scene to determine the nature of the substance that was on the mom and her children and the ground near them. The team determined the substance to be baby powder.
The mom and children are residents of the area, police say. Preliminary witness interviews suggest that the mother may have been screaming for help before police arrived.
The owner of the store recalled the woman visiting barefoot earlier in the day and buying three cans of Ajax cleaner. The 8-year-old girl was with her and crying.
The owner of a nearby liquor store said that the woman was outside the store on Wednesday night, completely naked, and covered in a white powder. The woman was breastfeeding the baby, the store owner said.
Mother and children found naked, unconscious and covered in powder in South LA. @GigiGraciette reports: https://t.co/HrCwEYxfwM
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) October 19, 2017
The three victims did not have any signs of trauma when police discovered them next to a car in the parking lot. Police did not release any information on suspects.
Officers handcuffed a man when they were investigating the scene but later released him.
Investigators were reviewing surveillance footage and canvassing more witnesses as of Thursday afternoon.