Heartbreaking case in Pejaten: two-day-old baby abandoned by 12-year-old sibling in nasi uduk cart after mother dies

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — A two-day-old baby girl was found abandoned in a nasi uduk pushcart on Jalan Pejaten Raya, Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, on Tuesday, 3 March 2026. A note containing a letter, along with other items, was found inside a shopping bag left in the pushcart. The baby is believed to have been abandoned by her elder sibling, identified only as Z (12), after the mother died following childbirth. Initially, a witness named Dinda was on the second floor of her house in the late afternoon ahead of iftar when she suddenly heard a baby’s cry. The crying continued until she went downstairs to locate the source. Looking into the pushcart, she found a baby girl dressed in blue, crying. “Then the witness checked inside the shopping bag and saw a baby girl positioned on her side, wearing a blue teddy bear-patterned outfit and covered with a baby blanket,” said Pasar Minggu Police Chief, Kompol Anggiat Sinambela, in a statement on Wednesday, 4 March 2026. He added that she informed her mother and quickly brought the baby into the house to secure her. They then contacted the local RT head to report the discovery. “There, the witness Marlinah changed the baby’s nappy because of soiling and cleaned her up,” Anggiat said. At the time, Dinda discovered more baby items, including 0–6 months baby milk in a red carton, wet wipes, and blue baby gloves. Notably, there was also a slip of paper with childlike handwriting found there. On the cover, the writer signed with the initials Z, a 12-year-old boy.