Newborn Found Inside Garbage Bag In Car Outside Hospital, Parents Arrested

A Wood County, Wisconsin, couple was arrested and awaiting charges in connection with the death of their newborn child.

According to a news release from the Wood County Sheriff’s Department, the incident came to light after the Marshfield Medical Center officials notified them about a possible missing newborn Saturday morning.

"Marshfield medical center advised the Wood County Sheriff’s Department and Marshfield Police Department a female had come in for treatment, advised that she had given birth, and the baby wasn’t with her," Wood County Sheriff Shawn Becker said, CBS-affiliated television station WSAW reported.

Officials found the newborn baby “wrapped inside a tied plastic garbage bag” in the back of an SUV at the medical center parking lot Saturday afternoon. The newborn was rushed to the hospital and was temporarily revived but later succumbed to injuries.

According to the court documents, 22-year-old Marylinn Feher gave birth to the child at her residence early Saturday. Feher along with the child’s father, 19-year-old Allen Rice, wrapped the baby in a towel and put it in a trash bag. The couple then placed the bag in the car and drove to the medical center. The newborn was left in the car and the mother, who was bleeding, was taken to the emergency room for treatment. When questioned by doctors, the woman denied giving birth.

During police interrogation, Feher said though she was informed about her pregnancy in October, she refused to accept the diagnosis as a doctor had earlier told her she couldn’t get pregnant. On Friday evening, she began experiencing cramps at her workplace and drove back home. She was in so much pain that she crawled to the bathroom, where she gave birth while sitting on the toilet.

Rice told the officers that he saw Feher sitting on the toilet and the head of the baby coming out. The newborn fell into the water and he pulled it out. He then tried reviving the baby by CPR but when it did not work, he wrapped the baby in a towel, put it in a trash bag and walked toward the car during which he tripped and dropped the baby. He then placed the baby in the car and drove to the hospital, the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune reported.

Meanwhile, Feher cleaned up the mess in the bathroom, put on new clothes and reached the medical center. Feher went to the emergency room while Rice said he stayed back with the baby and tried reviving it. Assuming that the baby was dead, Rice left it in the car and went inside the hospital. Two hours later, he went back to the car and tied the bag shut. Investigators believe the baby was left in those conditions for “approximately three hours” before being found by the officers.

An autopsy relieved that the baby had suffered injuries around the neck. Feher told investigators that at one point she had put her hands around the baby’s neck during delivery. The exact cause of death was, however, was not known.

The couple was arrested on charges of child neglect resulting in death. They appeared in court Monday where a $250,000 cash bond was set for the baby's mother and a $35,000 bond for the father. The couple was scheduled to appear in court April 22.

Sheriff Becker said he was requesting a homicide charge against Feher.

"This case has been quite emotional for the staff. And it’s going to continue to be. This is probably the worst… in my career for what the department is going through," Becker said.