A Santa Barbara woman has been arrested for allegedly attempting to smother her newborn baby in her apartment this weekend.
Roommates discovered both the mother, 20-year-old Joseline Lopez-Hernandez, and her newborn baby unresponsive inside their apartment Sunday morning at a complex on the 1100 block of San Andres Street, according to Assistant Chief of Police Marylinda Arroyo. Santa Barbara City Police, City Fire, and AMR responded to the scene at 7:54 a.m. and transported the baby and Lopez-Hernandez to Cottage Hospital. Following life-saving measures, the baby regained a pulse and began breathing without assistance.
During a follow-up investigation, detectives learned that Lopez-Hernandez had allegedly attempted to smother the baby. Assistant Chief Arroyo said that as of Tuesday evening, the mother was in the process of being booked into Santa Barbara County Jail for attempted homicide cruel and unusual punishment of a child and will be held without bail. A court date has not yet been scheduled.
