Newborn girl found dead in bathroom stall at Pasadena park

Authorities are searching for answers after a newborn girl was found dead in a restroom stall at a Pasadena park Thursday night.

Maintenance workers found the body while preparing to clean a restroom at Memorial Park, 85 E. Holly St., according to the Pasadena Police Department. Officers and fire paramedics were called to the scene about 10:10 p.m., police Lt. Anthony Russo said.

“They discovered the deceased newborn inside the female restroom on a stack of toilet paper,” Russo said.

The newborn appeared to be full term, Russo said, but the Los Angeles County coroner’s office will have to officially make that determination.

It was not immediately clear when the baby was born, but Russo said police did not receive any calls for service or reports of a baby crying before the body was found.

“We don’t know if the baby was born there or brought there,” he said.

The girl’s body had not been examined as of late Friday morning, according to coroner’s spokeswoman Sarah Ardalani.

Russo said Pasadena has a “safe haven” program in which parents can voluntarily surrender custody of their newborns to an on-duty firefighter at a local station.

“There is a venue for them to safely surrender the child, and for us to get them the medical attention necessary,” he said.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Pasadena police at (626) 744-4241. Tips also can be left anonymously at (800) 222-8477.