Fetus found dead and charred at Phoenix’s largest homeless encampment ‘The Zone’
PHOENIX, ARIZONA: A couple discovered a dead and charred fetus in Phoenix's largest homeless camp as they were trying to put out a fire. On November 12 at about 1 am, Arizona police received a complaint regarding a child in danger close to West Madison Street. According to authorities, the charred fetus, which was between 20 and 24 weeks old, was there when they arrived.
One witness, Joe Coplin, claimed to have seen a couple put out the fire from which the fetus was discovered. When the couple discovered the small body, they made an effort to put it out. “[He told me] his fiancee came and was trying to put the fire out, and then he went to stomp on it to put it out and realized it was a baby in there,” Coplin told 12 News. “He saw the head, a perfectly shaped head, and little arms, hands, legs, chest. He grabbed his fiancee and turned away so she wouldn't see it, and he was freaked out. He called 911.” The unborn child was declared dead at the site. Since the epidemic, Phoenix has seen an increase in the number of homeless people, who as of this year number 3,096, as per a report from Daily Mail.
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The homeless encampment in Phoenix where the fetus was discovered, sometimes referred to as "The Zone," is one of numerous developing tent cities that arose in the state capital of Arizona during the pandemic. The street where the fetus was found is visible from Coplin's residence. The discovery had not completely taken him by surprise. “Anything can happen around here,” Coplin added. “We're right down here in ‘The Zone,’ and anything and everything does happen.” As of October 27, over 1,000 homeless people were reportedly camped out there as per 12 News. After property owners sued earlier this year, a lawsuit was just filed and heard in court regarding the encampment's conditions last month. As part of their efforts to address the homelessness epidemic, city officials also urged that a new homeless shelter be opened.
Thousands of individuals were reported to be homeless in Phoenix during the epidemic in 2020, and 'The Zone,' which is the area around upscale apartment buildings and eateries, was covered in feces and trash. According to city statistics, 3,096 people were recently homeless in Phoenix. Since 2020, when 2,380 homeless persons were reported, the growth of rent and the pandemic have been mostly to blame. In addition to spending $27.9 million on a new shelter that would house 100 people and 175 additional beds at the Central Arizona Shelter Services, Phoenix officials have set aside $50 million to solve the city's homelessness epidemic.