Shawn Sepulveda tossed her newborn

**Unamused Cat** · August 17th, 2008, 01:16 AM

LAGUNA NIGUEL - Investigators have arrested Shawn Sepulveda, a 38-year-old Laguna Niguel woman, on one count of attempted murder after an 11-year-old girl found a newborn baby tossed away inside a large dumpster this morning, authorities said.

The baby was found at about 9 a.m., when the girl was near a dumpster at 30041 Tessier, said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Sepulveda is believed to be the mother of the newborn, according to Amormino.

The 11-year-old immediately told adults, who took the baby to the leasing office of a nearby apartment complex, he said.

The baby girl, who is believed to have been born just hours before it was left in the dumpster, was alive when she was taken to the office, Amormino said.

Authorities were called to the apartment complex, and then began to search for the mother, he said.

The newborn girl has been taken to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo to be treated. Although she is not considered to be in good health, she is expected to survive, Amormino said.

It is unknown why the baby was left behind in the dumpster, Amormino said. The relationship between the 11-year-old and Sepulveda is part of the investigation, he said.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/a...umpster-mother

**nurseronda** · August 17th, 2008, 01:18 AM

I am so happy that this baby was found alive. That 11 year-old is a hero.

**Silvahalo** · August 17th, 2008, 04:32 PM

"It is unknown why the baby was left behind in the dumpster..."

Unknow?? the baby wasn't wanted so it was treated like trash. That's the *F* why!

**Dakota Valkyrie** · August 18th, 2008, 09:56 PM

Neighbors said the girl who made the discovery is the newborn's sister.

A trail of blood led to Sepulveda. The baby was believed to have been born just hours earlier and placed in the trash only about 15 minutes before the girl got her out.

"The girl notified adults, who went out and retrieved the child," Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department said. "It's so sad because nobody has to do that. Any baby can be taken to a church, or to a fire station, or a hospital."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/...,5617763.story

Well, at least someone in the family had brains. Hope both kids are OK.

**Lizard** · August 18th, 2008, 11:07 PM

It's pretty damn sad when an 11-year-old teaches her mother something about responsibility and maturity. Good for her, clitoridectomy for the mom. And sew her shut.

**Dakota Valkyrie** · August 18th, 2008, 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by Lizard

Good for her, clitoridectomy for the mom. And sew her shut.

Time to dig out them claw clippers again! Dip 'em in rust, Lizard.

**ImmortalOne** · August 19th, 2008, 12:13 AM

Wow, can you imagine what that 11yr old was going through. Knowing not only her baby sister almost died, or could have, but that her own mother did it. I have a feeling that Mommy Dearest sucks big time and that something isn't exactly new for the 11 yr old.

**katyk** · August 19th, 2008, 12:21 AM

Originally Posted by ImmortalOne

Wow, can you imagine what that 11yr old was going through. Knowing not only her baby sister almost died, or could have, but that her own mother did it. I have a feeling that Mommy Dearest sucks big time and that something isn't exactly new for the 11 yr old.

Did they find out if the 11 year old was related the whore? It said it was still under investigation. I usually miss these details, so there could have been something I missed.

Either way, you're right, that little girl will have that image in her head forever. Hopefully it will make her an even better mother someday.

**Aelwynn** · August 19th, 2008, 08:22 AM

Why is it everytime a child is abandoned the cops are always quoted as stating where it's safe to leave the kids? Honestly, they should KNOW by now. People like Shawn Sepulveda just don't CARE!

I agree, that 11 yr old is a pure hero in my eyes. Imagine how frightened (if she was truly the baby's sister) she was that her mom would find out that she's the one to send the police and other adults after her. Honestly, if I could buy her a ton of a candy right now, I would. Screw the baby teeth! Let's spoil her rotten.

**CorruptedMistress** · August 19th, 2008, 09:58 AM

Yeah, she knew her mom was pregnant and was concerned when she saw her mother bleeding in the bathroom and then carry something to the bin. She went out minutes later to see what her mom had thrown away.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...90412&tc=yahoo

How very sad for the child to witness something like that. A new sibling is supposed to be a joyous occasion.

**Dakota Valkyrie** · August 19th, 2008, 12:05 PM

**Whisper** · July 21st, 2010, 12:51 PM

[B]Shawn Kelli Sepulveda, Who Allegedly Left Her Baby to Die in Dumpster, Has Noon Trial Date[/B
[...]
Shawn Kelli Sepulveda, 40, faces one felony count of attempted murder, one felony count of child abuse and a possible life sentence.

At the time of Sepulveda's August 2008 arrest, friends called her a "doting soccer mom."
Sepulveda's then-11-year-old daughter discovered the newborn in the rubbish receptacle and alerted apartment personnel, who called 9-1-1.

The girl had no idea she had just saved her sister.

The doting soccer mom's three children--including the baby girl--were placed in protective custody. A "distraught" Sepulveda was placed on suicide watch in jail.

At the time, her lawyer surmised his client--who had no criminal record nor any previous visits from Child Protective Services--must have suffered some kind of mental breakdown that led her to discard her baby.

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazin...veda-attempte/

The Orange County District Attorney's Office statement on the charges follows
July 20 2010
MOTHER FACES TRIAL FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER OF NEWBORN BABY LEFT IN LAGUNA NIGUEL APARTMENT DUMPSTER

FULLERTON - A mother faces trial tomorrow for attempting to murder her new baby girl by leaving her in an apartment complex dumpster. Shawn Kelli Sepulveda, 40, Laguna Niguel, is charged with one felony count of attempted murder and one felony count of child abuse. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison. Opening statements are expected to begin tomorrow, Wednesday, July 21, 2010, in Department N-10, North Justice Center, Fullerton. The time is to be determined.

On Aug. 16, 2008, Sepulveda is accused of giving birth to a baby girl, Jane Doe, in her Laguna Niguel apartment. The defendant is accused of trying to hide her pregnancy from her husband and two pre-teen children because her husband was not the father of the new baby.

At approximately 7:00 a.m., Sepulveda is accused of taking Jane Doe and abandoning her in a dumpster in the apartment complex. The baby was only a few hours old. The defendant is accused of failing to care for her baby's health and well being and leaving Jane Doe to die.

That morning, Sepulveda's daughter discovered the baby in the dumpster and alerted apartment staff, who removed Jane Doe and called 911. The victim was transported to the hospital and taken into protective custody.

[...]

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazin...veda-attempte/

**Silvahalo** · July 24th, 2010, 12:40 AM

Well, guess the trash didn't try claiming some kind of pregnancy depression defense. No PPD, baby was like 2 hours old.
Mental break down, more like moral break down.

At approximately 7:00 a.m., Sepulveda is accused of taking Jane Doe and abandoning her in a dumpster in the apartment complex. The baby was only a few hours old. The defendant is accused of failing to care for her baby's health and well being and leaving Jane Doe to die.

I wonder what the baby was named? She should be named after her big sister. Imagine one day baby will know exactly what happened and that it was her sister who saved her from the death can. What a hero that child is. I hope they always have one another to lean on.

**Whisper** · July 28th, 2010, 07:07 PM

O.C. mom guilty of abandoning baby in trash
FULLERTON, Calif. (KABC) -- An Orange County woman was found guilty of trying to kill her newborn daughter by dumping her into a trash bin.

Shawn Kelli Sepulveda was convicted on Wednesday of attempted murder, endangerment and child abuse.

Sepulveda gave birth in August of 2008 in the bathtub of her apartment, where she lived with her husband and their two children.

According to prosecutors, the 39-year-old Laguna Niguel mother kept her pregnancy a secret, because a man that was not her husband was the father.

According to police testimony, Sepulveda cut the umbilical cord with a steak knife from her kitchen and took the infant to a trash bin in her apartment complex.

Sepulveda's other daughter discovered the baby in a trash bin later that day. The baby was taken to a hospital and brought into protective custody.

[...]

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?se...nty&id=7580384

**Gidget** · July 28th, 2010, 08:21 PM

According to prosecutors, the 39-year-old Laguna Niguel mother kept her pregnancy a secret, because a man that was not her husband was the father.

Well. THAT plan worked out really well, didn't it?

**Whisper** · September 24th, 2010, 09:04 PM

Mom sentenced for dumping newborn in dumpster
FULLERTON, Calif. (KABC) -- A Laguna Nigel woman was sentenced Friday to five years in state prison for abandoning her newborn daughter in a dumpster.

Shawn Kelli Sepulveda, 41, was found guilty in July of attempted murder and child abuse.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office says Sepulveda tried to keep her pregnancy a secret from her husband because he is not the father. Her two other children were also kept in the dark.

Then, on August 16, 2008, Sepulveda gave birth to the baby girl in her Laguna Niguel apartment. Prosecutors say a few hours later, Sepulveda dumped the baby in a nearby dumpster.

Sepulveda's husband caught on and sent their daughter to look for the newborn. She found the child and the baby was taken into protective custody.
[...]

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?se...rticle-7688106

**Tundratot** · September 25th, 2010, 04:23 PM

Sepulveda's husband caught on and sent their daughter to look for the newborn.

Wow! I was wondering, as I read through this thread, how her husband could have missed the fact she was pregnant. Guess he didn't.

All the while I'm reading this I'm wondering, a woman of that age trying to kill a newborn, was she raped? She has apparently never claimed so. But, why in the world would she not go the extra step of taking the baby girl to a safe haven?

That he sent his daughter out to look reminds me of a story my grandmother told me about her childhood. Would have been in the 1920's. Her uncle or grandfather one day sent the kids out to the fields to "look for something". He didn't specify what. One of them found a baby at the bottom of a deep hole (dry well?). The baby survived and was raised by the family.

I have to say, though, I hope that Jane Doe doesn't hear this story. The chance to honor her sister does not stack up against the psychological damage of knowing her mother not only relinquished her (as all adopted children must know), but tried to throw her away like trash and let her die. It's hard to grow up as an adoptee without some sneaking suspicion the you were not good enough to keep, that you were rejected, but I think the hope that your mom was trying to give you a better life than she could give you must also be in there. This story would forever kill that hope and be terribly damaging.

**Jerri Blank** · September 26th, 2010, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by whisperswing

sentenced Friday to five years in state prison

5 years?? seriously how did she receive 5 years or attempted murder? she would have succeeded with out intervention and what would keep her from doing it again?

So she has been locked up since '08 so with parole she'll be waltzing around free as a bird any day now.

This is a crock of shit if I ever one

Originally Posted by Tundratot

Wow! I was wondering, as I read through this thread, how her husband could have missed the fact she was pregnant. Guess he didn't.

All the while I'm reading this I'm wondering, a woman of that age trying to kill a newborn, was she raped? She has apparently never claimed so. But, why in the world would she not go the extra step of taking the baby girl to a safe haven?

That he sent his daughter out to look reminds me of a story my grandmother told me about her childhood. Would have been in the 1920's. Her uncle or grandfather one day sent the kids out to the fields to "look for something". He didn't specify what. One of them found a baby at the bottom of a deep hole (dry well?). The baby survived and was raised by the family.

I have to say, though, I hope that Jane Doe doesn't hear this story. The chance to honor her sister does not stack up against the psychological damage of knowing her mother not only relinquished her (as all adopted children must know), but tried to throw her away like trash and let her die. It's hard to grow up as an adoptee without some sneaking suspicion the you were not good enough to keep, that you were rejected, but I think the hope that your mom was trying to give you a better life than she could give you must also be in there. This story would forever kill that hope and be terribly damaging.

I believe she will know the truth sometime and hopefully she will hear how the rest of her family saved her and she was wanted and was just a damn fruit cake at least.

**Tundratot** · September 26th, 2010, 09:44 PM

Originally Posted by Jerri Blank

I believe she will know the truth sometime and hopefully she will hear how the rest of her family saved her and she was wanted and was just a damn fruit cake at least.

(I think you mean "not just a damn fruit cake"?)

You may be right, but I think that, unless the family kept her or she was adopted by some other part of the family, this would be devastating. She would probably tend to overlook the good part -- someone cared enough to look for her, save her -- and concentrate on the bad part -- Mom had so little regard for me she threw me in the garbage -- because, that is human nature.