Woman climbs into trash compactor to rescue baby in Washington

EVERETT, WA (KTRK) -- Police are looking for the mother of a baby who was found alive inside a dumpster.

Investigators in Everett, Washington are investigating after a couple called 911.

A man describes how a baby was rescued from a trash compactor in Washington State

Jeff Meyers says he and his girlfriend Paula were passing a dumpster at an apartment complex when they heard a baby cry.

The woman climbed into the dumpster and began digging through the trash.

"She jumped in, in her dress, into the compactor and pulled out maybe 20 bags of garbage," Meyers says.

"About two and a half feet down, and we're all thinking, boy, I really hope this is just, you know, she was saying almost in tears, 'I hope this is just a toy. I hope this is just a toy,' and then a sound that I've never heard out of Paula in my life, saying, 'Oh my God, it's a real baby.'"

The baby was transported to the hospital for care. The baby's condition is unknown.

It's unclear how the baby got inside the dumpster. Police are searching for the mother.