Authorities searching for pregnant woman who abandoned baby in shopping cart at Lomita store

LOMITA, Calif. (KABC) -- Authorities are asking for the public's help in finding a pregnant woman who they say abandoned a baby at a business in Lomita.

A photo of the child was released, along with a surveillance image of the pregnant woman who authorities say abandoned the infant inside the store.

The child is believed to be seven to nine months old.

Deputies responded around 5 p.m. Tuesday to a business in the 2000 block of Pacific Coast Highway. When they arrived, a store employee told them a pregnant woman with a baby had entered the store and asked for a taxi.

The woman went to the bathroom as the employee arranged for a taxi. When the taxi arrived, authorities say the woman got in the car and left the child behind in a shopping cart.

The woman's whereabouts are unknown, and the child is in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lomita Sheriff's Station at 310-539-1661. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Crime Stoppers at 800 222-8477.