19-YEAR-OLD MOTHER CHARGED AFTER 4-MONTH-OLD BABY LUNA FOUND IN SOUTH LA DUMPSTER — BAIL SET AT $2 MILLION

LOS ANGELES — A 19-year-old Los Angeles woman is facing serious criminal charges after her four-month-old daughter, identified by relatives as Luna, was found unresponsive inside a dumpster in South Los Angeles.

Takiyah Rochelle Babers, the infant’s biological mother, was initially arrested on suspicion of mu#der after officers responded to the area of Alba Street and Long Beach Avenue late on September 28. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers found the four-month-old girl inside a trash bin at around 10:30 p.m. Paramedics transported the infant to a local hospital, where she was pronounced d#ead.

The case moved forward in court on October 1, when prosecutors charged Babers with one count of mu#der and one felony count of ᴀssault on a child causing d#ath. Court records reported by PEOPLE show that her bail was set at $2 million, with another court hearing scheduled for October 30.

Authorities have not publicly confirmed the baby’s official idenтιтy. Family members, however, identified her as Luna and told local media that they had been caring for the infant. The baby’s foster grandparents, Herman Johnson and Laura Lacy, said they had cared for Luna from a very young age and were devastated when they learned about her d#ath.

The investigation reportedly intensified after family members saw news coverage describing a distinctive physical characteristic of the unidentified infant. They believed the description matched Luna and contacted authorities, helping investigators establish the baby’s idenтιтy.

Police have also been investigating the circumstances surrounding the hours before the infant was found. According to FOX 11’s account of the investigation, family members said Babers gave conflicting explanations about where Luna was. Those statements are part of the investigation and have not been independently established as facts at trial.

A vigil was later held near the location where the baby was discovered, with community members leaving flowers, balloons and candles in remembrance of the infant. The case has drawn significant attention and grief from people in the surrounding neighborhood.

Despite the charges now filed against Babers, important questions remain unanswered. Authorities have not publicly released a final cause or manner of d#ath, and investigators have not announced a confirmed motive. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s findings are expected to play an important role in the continuing investigation.

Babers is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. The criminal case is continuing, while investigators work to establish the full circumstances surrounding Luna’s d#ath.

For Luna’s foster grandparents and other relatives who cared for her during her short life, the legal proceedings are only one part of an unimaginable loss. The family is now mourning a four-month-old baby whose life ended before she had the chance to grow up.

Source: Los Angeles Police Department, NBC Los Angeles, CBS Los Angeles, FOX 11 Los Angeles, PEOPLE.