Investigators are searching for answers after a newborn baby was found dead in the courtyard of an apartment building on Wednesday, October 30. So far, they’ve determined that the baby’s mom is a 14-year-old girl who was likely trying to hide her pregnancy.
Police say that the 14-year-old mom threw the baby out the window of a building in the Bronx, a borough of New York City.
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A worker found the baby in the courtyard of the apartment building.
According to WABC, a contractor working at the apartment building found the baby on the morning of October 30. The baby was unresponsive and the umbilical cord was still attached. When emergency medical services responded, they pronounced the baby dead.
The apartment's courtyard is not frequented by residents.
The news outlet reported that the building’s courtyard is mostly used by maintenance staff. The building’s residents don’t have access to the courtyard, so it’s possible the baby was there for several days before the worker found her body. The building superintendent told WABC that “they say the baby was there for almost three or four days.” He didn’t notice until the contractor notified him about it. “I could have literally looked out the window and saw the baby,” the superintendent told the news outlet.
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Investigators don't know if the baby was born alive.
As of October 31, investigators don’t know if the baby was born alive. The medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of the baby’s death. Detectives are also interviewing the baby’s mom, who is only 14 years old.
Police believe the 14-year-old mom was trying to keep her pregnancy a secret.
Though the baby’s death is still under investigation, police officers reportedly believe the 14-year-old mom didn’t tell people that she was pregnant and was trying to keep the pregnancy a secret. They also suspect that she gave birth in the building then threw the baby out the window into the courtyard.
Residents of the apartment didn't seem to know that the girl was pregnant.
WABC reported that investigators asked residents of the building if they knew of any pregnant residents. They did not seem to know that the teen was pregnant, and were surprised to find out about the baby discovered in the apartment’s courtyard.
One resident suggested that the teen could’ve taken the baby to a church to anonymously abandon it instead.
People impacted by unwanted pregnancies have several options, such as anonymously surrendering the baby in a safe location up to 30 days after birth. Police don’t know if the 14-year-old knew about these options.
