A Georgia woman has been arrested after allegedly abandoning her newborn son in a motel dumpster, where he was found alive and is now in stable condition.
Police in Columbus, Georgia, arrested 22-year-old Zinnia Hernandez after a newborn boy was discovered abandoned in a dumpster outside a Budgetel Inn & Suites on September 2. Authorities said a passerby heard the infant crying and called police, who found the baby around 6:30 p.m.
Investigators said Hernandez admitted she gave birth in a motel bathtub that morning and later placed the baby, placenta, and umbilical cord into a trash bag, which she sealed inside another. “The child was double bagged and placed into the dumpster for about five and a half to six hours,” Sgt. B. Waldie told WTVM.
The infant was taken to Piedmont Columbus Regional hospital and is in stable condition. Hernandez faces charges including attempted murder, child abandonment, cruelty to children, and reckless conduct.
Police reminded the public that Georgia’s Safe Haven Law allows mothers to surrender newborns at hospitals, fire stations, or police stations without prosecution.