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Oxnard mother suspected of leaving newborn in strawberry field

An Oxnard woman who allegedly gave birth in a strawberry field and left the newborn to die has been booked on suspicion of murder, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.

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Authorities believe Rosalba Moran, 20, of Oxnard delivered the child on May 21, in a Camarillo-area field in the 3200 block of Central Avenue.

The infant's body was later discovered by a farm worker, Gabriel Ortiz, 43, who told the Ventura County Star he found the body while checking a hose line near a row of poppies bordering the field. Ortiz told a supervisor, who called police.

Ortiz, the father of a 6-month-old daughter, told the newspaper he was shaken by the discovery.

Police took DNA samples from more than 100 fieldworkers in the area, and a swab eventually led to Moran, officials said. She was arrested Dec. 21 and is being held on $1-million bail at Todd Road Jail, according to a Sheriff's Department release.

Detectives are still working to identify the baby's father. Anyone with information about the case can contact Det. Lopez or Det. Worthy at (805) 383-8786.

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— Wesley Lowery

twitter.com/WesleyLowery

Photo: Courtesy of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.

 
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