Infant abandoned inside garbage dumpster in Greek city

ATHENS, Greece – Greek police said Wednesday they had arrested a 24-year-old woman on suspicion of attempted infanticide after a passer-by found a days-old baby abandoned in an in-ground garbage dumpster in a southern city.

The baby boy, which is between six and 10 days old, was transferred to hospital, where he was found to be in generally good health.

Police said the suspect was believed to be the baby’s mother.

The mayor of the Kalamata, where the baby was found, told state-run ERT television the dumpster was about three meters (nearly 10 feet) deep. Mayor Thanassis Vassilopoulos, said the baby “was very lucky in its misfortune,” because the local garbage truck — which crushes the trash placed inside it — had been delayed on its route Wednesday morning.

During the delay, a woman who was feeding neighbourhood cats nearby heard the baby’s crying and called police, who jumped into the dumpster to retrieve the infant.