12/05/07
Mother of thrown-away baby arrested
By TOM STAIK

Mother of baby thrown out in the trash arrested on fraud charges; she is being detained on a federal immigration hold at the Highlands County Jail.


LAKE PLACID -- The mother suspected of throwing her newborn baby out with the trash Nov. 23 has been arrested by the Highlands County Sheriff's Office.

Silvia Zanchez, 24, of Lake Placid, was charged with identity theft and improper possession of an identification card.

Both charges, according to Sheriff Susan Benton, are third-degree felonies.

According to reports from Major Mark C. Schrader, Zanchez is an employee at Lake County Farms in Lake Placid and allegedly provided a Social Security card and Residential Alien card to Lake County Farms as identification.

Detectives learned the Social Security number she provided was assigned to another person by the Social Security Administration and the Residential Alien card was fraudulent.

Zanchez allegedly confessed to detectives that she had purchased both forms of identification from an unknown male, approximately four years ago in California. She also reportedly said she was currently in the United States illegally.

For more than a week investigators, volunteer firemen, and county work crews have been diligently searching more than 600 tons of refuse at the Highlands County Landfill for the body of the baby Zanchez is believed to have placed inside a plastic bag for streetside garbage pickup.

Earlier this week an employee of the Highlands County Landfill uncovered a piece of bedding which investigators identified as coming from Zanchez's home in the Sun 'n Lakes subdivision of Lake Placid.

Investigators hoped to find the remains of the baby in order to determine the cause of death, but as the days tick by, the possibility that the District 10 Medical Examiner's officer in Winter Haven will be able to determine cause of death continues to greatly diminish.

Detectives are diligently continuing to investigate the death and to search the landfill. Future charges related to this death are expected.

Sheriff Benton explained the counts Zanchez is currently facing are "collateral charges based on the investigation.

"I have been working with immigration and customs folks from the beginning. After the arrest last night, they came today to evaluate the arrest for the fraudulent documents and they were able to determine she was illegal. This gives us time to investigate the circumstances surrounding the baby's death and finish our investigation," Benton said.

Zanchez reamins in custody at the Highlands County Jail.

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