Infant dies after being found unconscious, naked, covered in powder in parking lot
LOS ANGELES -- An infant died Thursday after being found unconscious and covered in white powder along with a woman and 8-year-old girl in the parking lot of a Los Angeles market, reports CBS Los Angeles.
The woman, girl and infant weren't breathing when they were found naked in the parking lot of the Numero Uno market around 1:44 a.m. Thursday, LAPD Capt. Michael Rimkunas told the station. Police responded to the scene after receiving a report of a woman screaming.
The baby girl, believed to be one to two months old, was later declared dead at a hospital. The 26-year-old woman, believed to be the children's mother, and the 8-year-old remain hospitalized, the station reports.
The girl is in critical condition.
The family lives in the area and may have walked to the location, but police otherwise couldn't immediately provide more information about what happened to them. Detectives say there are no signs of trauma.
"It is devastating when you're dealing with children," Rimkunas said.
A hazmat team is on the scene processing the white powder to determine what it is, Rimkunas said. The powder is believed to be a baby product.
"There is quite a lot of the substance on the ground," he said.
The woman had been seen recently acting strangely at a nearby liquor store. Sumhee Chung said the woman came into her store with the older girl the day before.
"She don't even comb [her] hair, and no shoes," Chung said.
Investigators are searching the woman's home, just a few blocks away, for evidence, the station reports. Police reportedly found the same white powder at the home.
