Eight-Month-Old Baby Found Alive in Dumpster With Burns on Body

A woman has been arrested for allegedly leaving an 8-month-old baby in the trash at an apartment complex in Connecticut after assaulting the mother of the baby.

Police responded to the Presidential Gardens complex in the Newhallville neighborhood of New Haven at around 2 p.m. local time on Monday, according to Police Captain Anthony Duff.

Emergency responders were called to care for the baby, who was found alive with burns on her body in a trash bin at the complex.

The baby, who suffered burns to her hands, was hospitalized at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital and is in stable condition, authorities said.

Police have arrested Andiana Velez, a 24-year-old from Hamden, who is charged with risk of injury to a child, second-degree assault and first-degree reckless endangerment.

"It is believed Velez was the child's babysitter," Duff said. "New Haven Police and the state Department of Children and Families [DCF] are continuing to investigate the cause of the child's injuries. Investigators have not yet determined who is responsible for the infant's burn injuries."

Velez initially was held on a $250,000 bail and appeared in Superior Court in New Haven on Tuesday.

Her bail was raised to $500,000 the following day.

Velez was reported to have assaulted the baby's 21-year-old mother earlier Monday.

Velez, the baby and the baby's mother were in Velez's car at a gas station on Ella Grasso Boulevard. Conflicting statements were made about who started an argument and who pulled out a butcher's knife. Police said Velez attacked the baby's mother, who then ran away on foot, according to court documents.

Velez stopped at the apartment complex where she put the baby in the trash, saying she "knew the baby would be found," according to police.

Perry Dennis, a tenant at Presidential Gardens who discovered the baby, told the New Haven Register he was throwing away his trash when he heard the baby crying and notified building staff.

Rick Chardon, a maintenance worker, said the tenant walked away after throwing out his trash before "he turned around and looked in [into the trash bin]."

"There was a little baby that had trash on top of it...she was shivering like crazy when I got her in my arms," Chardon said to FOX 5 New York.

Kate Morgan, attorney for the state, said: "The state is concerned about the egregiousness of these allegations and the defendant's sheer indifference to this child's life."

Morgan argued for the $500,000 bail, as Velez has outstanding cases, including charges of third-degree assault, breach of peace and prior convictions for threatening and reckless endangerment, among other offenses.

Defense attorney Trey Bruce requested to reduce the bail to $50,000, saying Velez is a lifelong resident of New Haven who was employed for most of her adult life and was seeking therapy.

Judge Eugene Calistro called the allegations "disturbing," and agreed with the state's request for the $500,000 bail.

Calistro barred Velez from contact with the baby or her mother and also requested an assessment of Velez's mental health and medical condition while she is in custody.