10-Minute Birth and a Trail of Blood at West Covina Subway Restaurant
Mary Grace Trinidad
West Covina – A female customer of the Subway Restaurant on 2540 S. Azusa Avenue saw Mary Grace Trinidad, 38, covered in blood, exit through the front door and leave a trail of blood behind her.
Moments later, a baby’s cry came from the restroom. The customer alerted management, dialed 911, and West Covina Fire Department Paramedics quickly arrived to rescue a newborn baby boy who was half-submerged in the toilet bowl, his umbilical cord hanging over the rim.
West Covina Police Officers followed the trail 500 feet to an alley on 1540 E. Amar Road. “Officers located the suspect behind Pep Boys Auto Repair & Service shop and arrested the West Covina transient about 15 minutes after the abandoned child was found,” West Covina Police Lt. Dennis Patton said. Authorities immediately transported her to a nearby hospital for assessment and treatment of birth complications.
Upon release, Trinidad will be booked for attempted murder and child abandonment with a $2 million bail, and a $30,000 bail for a 1/3/2016 warrant for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The suspect remains hospitalized for treatment, release date unknown. The baby was in critical condition due to cold water lowering his core body temperature. It is not known whether his birth was premature.
“In my 25 years on the job, I’ve never heard of this occurring,” Patton said. “It just makes no sense whatsoever.” Under California’s Safely Surrendered Baby Law, parents or people with lawful custody can turn over an infant at fire stations and hospitals within the first 72 hours of birth with no questions asked.
Police have notified the county’s Department of Children and Family Services about the birth; the baby boy will be placed into protective custody. For more information, visit the Department of Social Services website at www.babysafe.ca.gov
