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Parents Arrested After 7-Day-Old Baby Found Under I-5 Overpass
Two parents were arrested after Yolo County deputies found their 7-day-old baby living with them in a makeshift tent beneath an Interstate 5 overpass, according to the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded Sept. 9 to a report of a man and woman living under the I-5 overpass near County Road 19A. When they arrived, deputies found 29-year-old Fernando Esparza, 29-year-old Melissa Rivera and their newborn baby.
The baby was immediately removed from the area and taken to Woodland Memorial Hospital for evaluation. The infant was later transported to a neonatal intensive care unit in Sacramento County.
Detectives and Child Welfare Services responded as investigators examined the baby's living conditions.
According to the sheriff’s office, detectives documented what they described as hazardous conditions at the site. Investigators reported finding suspected methamphetamine smoking pipes, accumulated trash, rotten food, sleeping accommodations on a dirt floor without bedding, vomit on a mattress and feces inside a baby carrier.
Detectives also reported finding the mother’s placenta and umbilical cord in a nearby garbage bag.
The parents told deputies they were waiting to take their child to the hospital at a later date, according to the sheriff’s office.
Esparza and Rivera were arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and booked into the Yolo County Jail. The baby was placed into protective custody.
The case remains under investigation. The allegations described by authorities are part of the criminal case, and the parents are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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By: CNN Newsource
September 19, 2026
Yolo Countynewborn babyI5 overpasschild endangermentFernando EsparzaMelissa RiveraYolo County Sheriffs OfficeCalifornia crimeWoodlandInterstate 5baby found under bridgechild welfare
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