Crime & JusticeBreaking
4-month-old girl found dead in Los Angeles dumpster; mother arrested
By Mantle News
Coverage spectrum
Covered by 3 outlets, all right-leaning.
3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias
A 19-year-old woman, identified by the Daily Mail as Takiyah Babers, was arrested after her four-month-old daughter, named Luna, was found dead inside a dumpster near Holmes Avenue Elementary School in South Los Angeles. A neighbor searching the trash around 10:30 p.m. on September 28 discovered the body, initially mistaking it for a doll, and called 911; emergency responders attempted CPR before the infant was declared dead at a hospital. The child’s foster grandparents, Herman Johnson and Laura Lacy, told reporters they recognized the baby as their granddaughter because of a distinctive six-toed foot. Babers is being held on $2 million bail. Police have not confirmed all details of the case publicly.
Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works
What happened
Key points
Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.
A four-month-old girl’s body was found in a dumpster near Holmes Avenue Elementary School in South Los Angeles on the night of September 28.
Reported byRight
A neighbor, Martha Serrano/Jimenez, discovered the body while searching the trash and initially mistook it for a doll.
Reported byRight
The baby was declared dead after being taken to a hospital.
Reported byRight
A 19-year-old woman was arrested in connection with the baby’s death.
Reported byRight
The Daily Mail identifies the mother as Takiyah Babers and the baby as Luna, and reports she is held on $2 million bail.
Reported byRight
The baby’s foster grandparents, Herman Johnson and Laura Lacy, identified her by a distinctive six-toed foot.
Reported byRight
What is contested
Where accounts differ
Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.
Whether the detained woman is confirmed to be the infant’s mother.
The Daily Mail identifies her as the mother, Takiyah Babers, and reports she faces murder charges; TheBlaze reports police would not confirm the relationship between the detained woman and the child; the New York Post describes a ‘chilling theory’ being investigated without confirming the suspect’s identity.
Manner of the infant’s death.
The Daily Mail states the mother ‘allegedly tossed her own baby girl out with the trash’ and faces murder charges; the other two outlets describe the discovery without asserting a cause of death.
How each side tells it
Compare views
the left
No coverage yet
No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the center
No coverage yet
No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the right
3 outlets
All three right-leaning outlets lead with the grim discovery of the infant in the dumpster, though they differ in how explicitly they name the mother and characterize the suspected crime: the New York Post frames it around a police ‘theory,’ TheBlaze emphasizes the foster grandmother’s emotional reaction, and the Daily Mail directly names the suspect and cites a bail amount.
Mother arrested after four-month-old baby girl was found dead in Sensational language“filthy green LA dumpster”Adds vivid emotional detail beyond what is necessary to convey the facts.More neutral: a dumpsterDisagree with this highlight?
Daily MailRightAll right-leaning headlines
The words they chose
Language to notice
Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.
Left
Has not covered this story.
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right7
grisly discoverychilling theorydiscarded like garbagetragic and gruesome discovery
In the outlets’ own words
Sensational language
grisly discoveryMore neutral: discovery
Adds dramatic emotional coloring to a factual event.
The grisly discovery occurred around 10:30 p.m.
Used byNew York Post (Right)
Sensational language
chilling theoryMore neutral: possible explanation
Describes an unverified police theory with dramatic language rather than neutral description.
…six toes is found dead in dumpster outside California school – as cops probe chilling theory
Used byNew York Post (Right)
Loaded modifier
discarded like garbageMore neutral: left in a dumpster
Frames the infant’s treatment in dehumanizing comparative terms rather than factual description.
…she could not forgive her foster grandchild's mother after her body was found discarded like garbage.
Used byTheBlaze (Far Right)
Sensational language
tragic and gruesome discoveryMore neutral: discovery
Uses emotionally charged adjectives instead of neutral description of the event.
Woman calls 911 after making tragic and gruesome discovery inside dumpster in Los Angeles
Used byTheBlaze (Far Right)
Show 3 more phrasesShow fewer
Loaded verb
tossed her own baby girl out with the trashMore neutral: allegedly placed her baby in the trash
Uses a dismissive, dehumanizing verb to describe an alleged act before it is legally established.
A 19-year-old woman has been arrested after she allegedly tossed her own baby girl out with the trash inside a filthy Los Angeles dumpster.
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Sensational language
filthy Los Angeles dumpsterMore neutral: a dumpster
Repeats emotionally loaded description rather than neutral phrasing.
…after she allegedly tossed her own baby girl out with the trash inside a filthy Los Angeles dumpster.
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Sensational language
filthy green LA dumpsterMore neutral: a dumpster
Adds vivid emotional detail beyond what is necessary to convey the facts.
Mother arrested after four-month-old baby girl was found dead in filthy green LA dumpster
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
See for yourself
Side by side
What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.
From the left
0 outletsNo left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
From the center
0 outletsNo center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
From the right
3 outletsLeads with
- graphic details of the discovery
- emotional reactions of family and bystanders
- the six-toed identification detail
Leaves out
- Confirmation from police on the relationship between the detained woman and the infant (TheBlaze does not name a suspect)
- Bail amount and suspect’s name (not included in New York Post or TheBlaze)
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
- Daily MailRight
Mother arrested after four-month-old baby girl was found dead in Sensational language“filthy green LA dumpster”Adds vivid emotional detail beyond what is necessary to convey the facts.More neutral: a dumpsterDisagree with this highlight?
A 19-year-old woman has been arrested after she allegedly tossed her own baby girl out with the trash inside a filthy Los Angeles dumpster.
- TheBlazeFar Right
Woman calls 911 after making Sensational language“tragic and gruesome discovery”Uses emotionally charged adjectives instead of neutral description of the event.More neutral: discoveryDisagree with this highlight? inside dumpster in Los Angeles
A woman who claimed to be caring for a baby girl said she could not forgive her foster grandchild's mother after her body was found discarded like garbage. …
- New York PostRight
Baby girl with six toes is found dead in dumpster outside California school – as cops probe Sensational language“chilling theory”Describes an unverified police theory with dramatic language rather than neutral description.More neutral: possible explanationDisagree with this highlight?
The Sensational language“grisly discovery”Adds dramatic emotional coloring to a factual event.More neutral: discoveryDisagree with this highlight? occurred around 10:30 p.m. Monday near the 5200 block of Alba Street, directly across from Holmes Avenue Elementary School.
Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?
The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.
Who reported it when
How the coverage built up
Left
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
First to report
New York Post, Sep 29, 1:47 PM EDT
See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
- New York PostRightSep 29, 1:47 PM EDT
- TheBlazeFar RightSep 30, 5:30 AM EDT
- Daily MailRightSep 30, 1:55 PM EDT
Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.
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