Police in a central Florida city have arrested a mother after the body of her newborn baby was found in a dumpster behind a business last Thursday morning.
Brusela D'Enstachio-Lugo, 34, turned herself in to Lakeland Police after the department released photos of several persons of interest in the case, NBC affiliate WESH reported Monday.
D'Enstachio-Lugo said she had no idea she was pregnant because she only experienced mild symptoms. The baby was stillborn and had a severe brain deformity, according to a preliminary medical examiner’s report.
Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor said a man was going through the dumpster on the 3600 block of South Florida Avenue when he found a bag with a fetus inside. Taylor said the bag contained “a male baby" with the placenta and umbilical cord, adding that the child had likely been dead for hours before authorities arrived.
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D'Enstachio-Lugo said she could not go to a hospital because she is an immigrant lacking permanent legal status and could not afford it. She was charged for improperly moving and storing human remains.
