A heartbreaking and disturbing incident unfolded in Florida as a newborn baby boy was found dead inside a dumpster. The discovery was made by a construction worker, David Vazquez, who found the infant’s lifeless body inside a box near an apartment building on Rodman Street, near South Federal Highway. The tragic event has triggered an investigation by the Hollywood Police Department to determine the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death.
According to reports from the New York Post, David Vazquez, 21, noticed a bad odor near the dumpster and investigated, discovering a blue grocery bag. Upon opening the bag, he found the lifeless body of the newborn. Vazquez promptly notified his boss, and the Hollywood Police Department was alerted to the scene.
In a statement to CBS News, Vazquez recounted the heartbreaking discovery, stating, ”I went to open the bag. When I opened the bag, I saw the baby, and it was already lifeless.” He added that the infant appeared to be a newborn, and he believed the bag had been placed in the dumpster over the weekend.
The construction worker’s call to the police was recorded and released on Tuesday, revealing the shock and distress of the situation. An official from the construction company stated, ”One of my job sites, we’re a roofing company, we have found a child in a dumpster. It was a child, a kid, a human. My crew arrived at the site to start the day, and I guess they realized when they were going to throw debris in the dumpster that they saw the child inside, so they called me and I’m calling you, I’m not there on-site.”
Hollywood Police Department officers responded to the call and attempted to save the baby upon arriving at the scene. Unfortunately, the infant was unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The tragic discovery has sent shockwaves through the neighborhood, leaving residents disturbed and appalled by the distressing incident. Eugene Yakymiw, a long-time resident, expressed his disbelief, stating, ”It’s just gut-wrenching, and I’ve been here for 40 years. I never, never, we’ve had things like this. I’m just like, I don’t know, it’s shocking, it’s disgusting.”
Another resident, Roger Cote, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the distressing nature of the event and the available alternatives, saying, ”It’s unbelievable. It’s like if people don’t want a baby, they could have given it up to the firemen or leave it at a hospital.”
In response to the incident, the Hollywood Police Department is actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the newborn’s death and attempting to identify the parents. They are specifically seeking assistance from the community, urging anyone with relevant surveillance footage to come forward.
“If you live near this area, this is the 1700 block of Rodman Street in the city of Hollywood, and you have a Ring camera and you believe that you have some kind of footage on your Ring camera or your doorbell camera, please don’t hesitate to call us,” said Officer Christian Lata, a Hollywood Police Department spokesperson.
He added, ”Also, a lot of people now have Teslas and those vehicles have 24/7 surveillance around the cars, and you live around the area and you have one of those vehicles that are constantly recording, take a second, look at your vehicle, and see if you have anything that would be useful to us.”
The investigation aims to shed light on the circumstances leading to the tragic discovery and bring clarity to this distressing incident. The community’s cooperation and assistance in providing any available footage will be instrumental in the police department’s efforts to locate a suspect and uncover details surrounding the newborn’s death.
