Michigan Woman Charged After She Dumps Newborn Baby In Trash Can

A woman was arrested and charged Tuesday after her newborn daughter was dropped off at a hospital in Detroit earlier this month.

The mother, identified as 23-year-old Jennifer Kayla Woodard, gave birth to the baby at her acquaintance’s home on Sept. 10. Minutes after giving birth, the women dumped the baby in a trash can. The acquaintance found the baby in the can and drove her to the Sinai-Grace Hospital. At the hospital, the unidentified acquaintance asked a person entering the building to hold the newborn until he parked his car. However, he never returned, NBC-affiliated television station WDIV reported.

Police were informed about it and following an investigation, the mother of the newborn was identified. She was taken into custody Sunday. On Tuesday, she was charged with multiple offenses including child abandonment, assault with intent to murder and second-degree child abuse. Her bond was set at $50,000. She is set to appear in court on Sept. 22. The acquaintance, on the other hand, was released after questioning. He may be charged once the investigation is completed.

Meanwhile, the newborn girl had to undergo a blood transfusion at the hospital after she lost a lot of blood since the umbilical cord was not clamped off in time. The condition of the newborn was not known. Investigation into the case was ongoing. The details regarding the child’s father were not known.

The incident comes months after a Pennsylvania teen was charged after she abandoned her newborn son on the back porch of a home. Cassandra Rochelle Stitzer, 18, told the investigators that as soon as she started experiencing stomach pain, she stepped out of her residence and drove her car for a while before giving birth in the front seat of the vehicle. She then wrapped the baby in a towel and dropped the baby on the back porch of a nearby home. She was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child. The baby was in a healthy condition.