Utah mother arrested for placing baby in trash
碍贰础搁狈厂,听Utah 鈥� A聽Utah聽woman accused of abandoning her day-old聽baby聽in a neighbor's trash can told police she was afraid to tell her parents about the pregnancy and hoped the newborn's death would solve her problems, a probable cause statement shows.
Alicia Marie Englert, 23, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of attempted murder.
The聽baby聽girl was listed in critical condition at a Salt Lake City hospital, authorities said.
According to authorities, the mother told officers she had left the聽baby聽about an hour before the child was found. Ms. Englert told police the聽baby聽had not received any medical care or food.
The baby was discovered by a woman who heard what she thought was a kitten meowing in the trash bin in the Salt Lake City suburb of Kearns Tuesday morning, Unified Police Detective Jared Richardson said. The baby girl was airlifted to a hospital.
Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder, who oversees the Unified Police Department, said at the news conference that there were no visible injuries to the child and no information about the child's father.
"We had a young lady make a very, very terrible decision," Mr. Winder said.
It occurred in a state that allows mothers to drop off newborns at hospitals without consequences, prompting officials to remind residents that there are resources available for expectant and new mothers, including a crisis hotline. At a Tuesday news conference, Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams and health officials said mothers can leave newborns at hospitals, no questions asked.
A handful of infants are dropped off at聽Utah聽hospitals under the safe haven law every year, said Al Romeo with the Utah聽Department of Health.
It's not common for a mother to abandon a child in a trash can or other unsafe place, but there have been a few cases over the past 10 years, he said.
Romeo cited the discovery in April of seven dead newborn聽babies聽in the garage of a home in Pleasant Grove,聽Utah. Police believe the mother killed six of the infants after giving birth to them over a decade. A seventh聽baby聽is believed to have been stillborn.
