Thursday, August 7, 2014

Mother charged with abandoning newborn in trash

 

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indianapolis woman said she gave birth in a warehouse restroom and expected the newborn boy to die after she dumped him in a garbage can and returned to her work station, according to court documents.

A Marion County judge entered a preliminary not guilty plea Wednesday for 22-year-old Briana Holland on charges including attempted murder and child neglect.

Police said they arrested Holland after her co-workers at the warehouse on the west side of Indianapolis found the newborn Friday night. The baby's head was covered in a bag, part of a tampon applicator was inside his mouth and toilet paper was wrapped around his neck, court documents said

Holland told a detective she was scared and couldn't afford to care for her son, according to a police affidavit.

The affidavit said when the detective asked Holland what she thought would happen to the baby she replied: "I know what the results would probably be. It would probably die."

Defense attorney Chadwick Hill didn't immediately return a telephone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The baby, who is in the custody of child welfare officials, was purple, cold and gasping for air when the co-workers found in the trash can, court documents said. The workers and a nurse at the warehouse cared for the boy until medics arrived and took him to a hospital.

Holland's boyfriend told police that she had kept her pregnancy secret from her family and hadn't received any prenatal care. He said he found out about her giving birth on Twitter and intends to seek custody of the child, the affidavit said.

Indiana has a safe haven law that allows people to give up custody of infants less than 30 days old to a hospital emergency room, police or fire station. A fire station is located across the street from the warehouse where Holland worked.

Since the safe haven law was enacted in 2000, nearly 140 infants have been left with emergency services providers, according to the Indiana Department of Child Services.

 

 

 

http://news.yahoo.com/mother-charged-abandoning-newborn-trash-164711118.html

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