Venissa Maldonado, 25, of Fullerton, was taken into custody Friday for alleged attempted murder and felony child abuse by the Fullerton Police Department.
“After conducting a thorough investigation, which included surveillance footage and possible suspect vehicle information, detectives served a search warrant at approximately 1:45 a.m. [Friday] in the 400 block of W. Orangethorpe Avenue,” police Sgt. Ryan O'Neil said.
Maldonado was being held on $500,000 bail, according to jail records.
Fullerton officers on Thursday were dispatched to the Chevron gas station located in the 900 block of Orangethorpe Avenue around 3:30 p.m. in response to a possible abandoned newborn inside a restroom, O'Neil said.
After discovering the baby, officers initiated life-saving procedures and immediately contacted the Fullerton Fire Department paramedics. The baby was later transferred to a hospital in critical but stable condition, according to O’Neil.
Anyone with further information was urged to contact Fullerton police Detective Marcus Saenz at 714-738-5361. Those wishing to provide information anonymously can call the Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS or visit the website at https://occrimestoppers.org/.
Additionally, O’Neil pointed out that according to the Safely Surrendered Baby Law, parents or person with lawful custody can surrender an infant within 72 hours of birth without fear of prosecution.
“The law’s intent is to save lives of newborn infants at risk of abandonment,” he said.
According to the law, the infant must be delivered to a safe surrender location, such as a public or private hospital, designated fire station, or other location approved by the County Board of Supervisors.
