A startling discovery was made when newborn twins were found dead in a garbage can on Cleveland’s Eastside.
Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said, “Cleveland Homicide Police Unit reported that a 16-year old girl, who police believe gave birth to the infants earlier that day, was located and taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.”
“Investigators will present the facts of this case to the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office,” Ciaccia added in her statement.
The two newborns were found near the 2800 block of Ludlow Road in Cleveland’s Buckeye Shaker Square on Saturday night.
“I’ve heard that the discovery was made by a landscaper that came over to do the grass,” an unidentified neighbor stated. “I heard the landscaper found the children while dumping grass clippings in the trash bin.”
The children were born on Thursday. Other neighbors said they heard the babies crying late at night but did not think anything of it, other than they thought the infants were waiting to be fed.
“Now that I know why the police are here, it hurts,” one neighbor said. “I wish I would have at least checked, but I didn’t want to seem nosey.”
Under Ohio law, if parents feel they can’t properly take care of a newborn child, they can drop an infant off at a local “safe haven” with no penalty as long as it’s done within 30 days of the child being born.
These locations include hospitals, fire stations, or police stations, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
