A teenage boy and woman have been arrested after allegedly soliciting funeral donations for a baby who did not exist, Corona police said Wednesday.
Yvette Delgado, 21, and the 16-year-old teenager, both residents of San Bernardino, stood at an intersection and collected $116 from motorists in less than an hour, the Corona Police Department said in a statement. The boy’s name was not released because he is a juvenile.
Officers responded about 2:09 p.m. Sunday to a report of a male panhandler causing a traffic hazard at McKinley Street and Griffin Way (map), authorities said.
The officers found the teen holding a gallon-size jug and poster board, requesting donations to help pay for the funeral of a 6-month-old girl, according to the statement. The sign indicated the baby’s purported name, date of birth, date of death and included a photograph.
Police said Delgado was soliciting for the same cause and, like the boy, was unable to provide any details about the baby’s death.
The officers contacted the coroner’s offices in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Neither agency had information on file regarding a baby’s death as described on the posters, officials said.
When the officers conducted an Internet search for the infant’s photograph, they discovered it was a file image from a baby-name website.
Delgado and the teenager were then arrested on suspicion of theft by false pretenses.