Mother of newborn found buried alive in Compton charged with attempted murder, child abuse

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The mother of a newborn girl who was found buried alive in Compton last month has been charged with attempted murder and child abuse, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

Porche Laronda Washington, 33, was arrested Thursday and is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood.

On Nov. 27, two women called the Compton Sheriff's Station after hearing a baby crying in the riverbed near 136th Street and Slater Avenue, Sgt. Bob Boese said.

Two responding deputies found the newborn girl buried under pieces of asphalt and rubble inside of a crevice along a bike path.

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The deputies rescued the baby from the hole and wrapped her in a blanket. She remains hospitalized in good condition, authorities said.

Special Victims Bureau detectives said Washington was admitted to a local hospital on Nov. 23, where she delivered her baby girl. Washington and her baby were then released from the hospital on Nov. 26 -- the baby was found buried alive a day later.

Washington did not want to deliver her baby and did not want people to know she was pregnant, authorities said.

She's scheduled to be arraigned at Compton Superior Court on Monday afternoon. Prosecutors will ask that Washington's bail be set at $1 million, officials said.

During a news conference on Monday, Boese thanked the public and media for their assistance in identifying and locating Washington.

If convicted as charged, she faces a possible maximum sentence of life in state prison.

The Department of Children and Family Services will determine a safe placement for the newborn upon her release from the hospital.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department urges anyone who may be in a difficult situation with a child to surrender them at any hospital or fire station in the county, no questions asked. For information call (877) 222-9723 or visit babysafela.org.