The Greatest Sentence Ever Written

From DJ Bronwyn C's 2007 Top 10 on WFMU.org:

Lead sentence to a crime-news story in the NY Daily News, by reporter Scott Shifrel: “A baby jammed in a shoebox amid a swarm of cockroaches, a pile of drugs, and a loaded handgun was well cared for and loved, her teenage mother insisted as she was released from jail yesterday.” An entire novel in 36 words.