Death of 22-week-old fetus in Maywood probed as possible homicide

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said officials are investigating the death of a 22-week-old male fetus in Maywood as a possible homicide.

The department said the case began when deputies responded to the 5000 block of Atlantic Boulevard Tuesday at about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday after the fetus was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. In a brief description of the incident, officials said a woman was considered a suspect in the death.

An official with the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said sheriff’s deputies noted in the case file that the mother has a history of drug abuse. An autopsy, however, had not yet been performed to determine if drug use was responsible for the death.

There have been no arrests in the case, authorities said Wednesday.

In the last 12 months, there have been two homicides within a mile of Tuesday’s incident, according to the Homicide Report database. There have been at least 46 homicides in Maywood since 2000.

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