Two parents were arrested on child endangerment charges after their 7-day-old baby was found living in what authorities described as unsafe conditions beneath an Interstate 5 overpass, the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies responded Sept. 9 to a tip about a man, woman, and newborn living under the freeway near County Road 19A.

Deputies contacted Fernando Esparza, 48, Melissa Rivera, 29, and their baby inside a makeshift tent directly beneath the overpass.

The baby was removed from the area and transported to Woodland Memorial Hospital for evaluation. The child was later taken to a Sacramento County neonatal intensive care unit for further medical evaluation.

Yolo County detectives and Child Welfare Services responded as authorities investigated the child’s welfare.

Detectives reported finding numerous suspected methamphetamine smoking pipes, accumulated trash, rotten food, sleeping accommodations on a dirt floor without bedding, vomit on a mattress, and feces inside a baby carrier. Authorities also found what they identified as Rivera’s placenta and umbilical cord in a nearby garbage bag.

The Sheriff’s Office said the tent was directly beneath I-5, where passing freeway traffic created extremely loud noise.

According to investigators, Esparza and Rivera acknowledged the dangers posed to their newborn and said they had been waiting to take the child to a hospital for an examination at a later date.

The child was placed into protective custody because of the immediate safety concerns, authorities said.

Esparza and Rivera were arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and booked into the Yolo County Jail.

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