Roofers Find Baby’s Body in Trash Bin Outside South Florida Apartment Complex

Investigator dusts for fingerprints at a large trash bin outside of an apartment complex in Hollywood, Fla., on Jan. 8, 2024, where construction workers found a dead baby. Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP

HOLLYWOOD, Fla.—Workers at a South Florida roofing company found a baby’s body in a large trash bin outside an apartment complex Monday morning, police said.

Police arrived around 8 a.m. and began lifesaving measures, but the baby was unresponsive, Hollywood police spokesperson Deanna Bettineschi said in a statement. She said an investigation is continuing and offered no additional details about the baby.

The workers were preparing to replace the roof at the apartment complex in Hollywood, just south of Fort Lauderdale, when they found the baby inside a box in the trash bin, the South Florida SunSentinel reported.

John Mitala, who owns Infinity Roofing, told the newspaper that one of the workers spotted the box, which didn’t belong to the company, and opened it. They immediately called police.

“The guys were shook,” Mr. Mitala said. “No one expects something like that. It’s really affected the entire company.”