Takiyah Babers, 19, has been arrested on suspicion of murder after her four-month-old daughter, Luna, was found in a South Los Angeles dumpster, according to Fox. Police took Babers into custody the day after the infant was found, and she is currently being held on $2 million bail.
The investigation remains active as the Los Angeles Police Department works to present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for a final decision on formal charges. The discovery occurred at about 10:30 PM on Monday, when a woman taking her trash out to a bin near the Pueblo del Rio housing complex and Holmes Avenue Elementary School noticed something inside the dumpster.
She initially thought the fully dressed infant inside was a doll, but after asking a neighbor to inspect the contents with her, they realized what it was and immediately contacted 911. Paramedics arrived and transported Luna to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The foster parents say they handed Luna back to her mother just hours before she was found
The timeline leading up to this point is something Babers’ foster parents, Laura Lacy and Herman Johnson, have shared in detail. They had been actively involved in caring for Luna and returned the infant to Takiyah Babers at approximately 6:00 PM on Monday. This was only about four and a half hours before the child was discovered in the dumpster. Lacy, who raised Babers after she entered her home as a foster child, said they would have been more than willing to continue providing care for the baby.
The foster family became alerted to the situation after seeing television coverage of an unidentified baby found in the area. A specific physical detail mentioned in news reports caught their attention, as the reports described the child as having six toes on her left foot. Recognizing this trait in Luna, the family rushed back to the neighborhood to confront Babers and locate the baby.
According to family members, Babers allegedly provided several conflicting accounts regarding Luna’s whereabouts. She first claimed the baby was sleeping, then suggested the child was with her biological father. However, when she attempted to show relatives a video on her phone as proof of the baby’s safety, family members were not convinced. Family members suspected the footage was old, as Babers was wearing different clothing in the clip and other details did not align.
Herman Johnson eventually took it upon himself to show photos of Luna to police officers and reporters near the scene of the discovery. He used AirDrop to share images with investigators and media present, and witnesses who had seen the child reportedly recognized her from the pictures provided by the family.
By 7:30 AM on Tuesday, police had secured the apartment, and Babers was taken in for questioning shortly thereafter. The LAPD announced her arrest on suspicion of murder later that day. While the investigation continues, authorities have not yet disclosed a cause of death or a potential motive.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner is currently working to determine exactly how and when the child died. Police have stated that the infant appeared to have been placed in the dumpster within the 24 hours preceding the discovery. However, they have not confirmed if the baby was alive at the time she was placed there.
Investigators are also attempting to locate the biological father, though relatives have noted he was not involved in Luna’s life. In the aftermath of the arrest, a vigil was held beside the dumpster, where community members placed candles, flowers, balloons, and stuffed animals to honor the infant.
Lacy and Johnson have described Luna as a happy baby whose presence and belongings had filled their home. California’s Safely Surrendered Baby Law applies only to newborns within 72 hours of birth, so at four months old, Luna was well outside the legal window for such a surrender. The LAPD’s Juvenile Division and Abused Child Section are continuing their work on the case. As of now, formal charges are pending, and the evidence gathered by detectives has not been presented in court.
The family has set up a fundraiser to assist with funeral and burial expenses as they process the loss of the child they had been helping to raise. Another child-related case this week involved a grandmother who found two children covered in blood at a South Carolina home.
Once the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office decides on formal charges, Babers could face a court date, and the medical examiner’s findings may clarify how and when Luna died.
Published: Oct 1, 2026 06:30 am