Apr 30, 2008 4:22 pm US/Pacific
Alhambra Woman Sentenced For Killing Her Baby
Baby's Body Found Dumped Near Railroad Tracks
PASADENA
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Tonya Mae Schaefer was sentenced Wednesday for murdering her baby found on train tracks in Alhambra.
CBS
A longtime Alhambra resident was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years-life for murdering and dumping her baby in 2006.
The child's body was found near train tracks, wrapped in plastic bags, just south of Mission Road near Freemont Ave.
Tonya Mae Schaefer's newborn daughter was found March 12, 2006 with the umbilical chord still attached.
Forensic experts determined the child's body was thrown from Front Street over a chain-link fence where she landed on tracks about 50 feet below street level.
Schaefer, now 43, was arrested nearly eight months later after police received a series of tips were generated when police publicized the case and offered a reward for information.
DNA tests, according to police, identified Schaefer as the baby's mother.
Schaefer was subsequently convicted of murder and assault charges.
Parishioners of Saint Therese Church, near where the body was found, named the child Therese Rose and held a candlelight vigil and funeral service for the baby attracting hundreds of mourners and huge media attention.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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