RAINA GRACE MILLER - Newborn - Indianapolis IN

A desperate search was under way Friday night
for a missing newborn whose mother said she couldn't remember where she
left the infant.Tasha B. Miller, 19, went to Methodist Hospital
on Wednesday, where doctors determined she was suffering from a severe
infection related to complications after having given birth.When
police questioned Miller on the whereabouts of her child, they said she
was confused and gave several different stories.
Miller originally told police that she had given birth to a girl by
herself at her home in the 600 block of East 11th Street on Monday
morning, but later said she was assisted by a friend who is a midwife,
police said.After the baby was born, Miller said she was going to
take the infant to a Safe Haven location, but said she couldn't find
one and couldn't remember if she left the baby on the side of an
interstate, put the infant on the porch of a home or threw the infant
out of car window.Investigators said Miller then changed her
story and said that she had, in fact, returned to her apartment, and
then she realized the baby was not moving, police said.She told
police she put the baby in a shoe box, put the box in a bag and put the
bag in her apartment's outdoor trash bin.



Police later searched
that bin, and several others in the area, but did not find anything.
Officers were also searching area landfills for any evidence.Miller
tested positive for marijuana at the hospital. She told police she
didn't know she was pregnant until five or six months into the
pregnancy, and that she hadn't told anyone.

Marion County juvenile court Judge Marilyn Moores on Friday ordered a
19-year-old woman to disclose the location of a baby she gave birth to
Monday.Tasha B.
Miller gave birth to a girl without medical assistance at her
Near-Northside apartment, according to juvenile court documents. Miller
came to Methodist Hospital in need of treatment Wednesday for
complications from the birth, the documents said.
Miller initially told authorities she had taken the baby to a safe
place but later gave conflicting accounts of where the child was.Police have been
searching for the baby in case she is still alive.Anyone with information about the baby's location is
asked to call the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's
missing-persons unit at (317) 327-6160.

After searching an apartment, a Downtown neighborhood and two trash
dumps, police by Sunday had not found a baby apparently born to a woman
last week.The
baby girl has been missing since she was born in an Eastside apartment
May 10, police said. The 19-year-old woman who gave birth has told
police several versions of what happened, including that she placed the
infant in a trash container after she gave birth.
Tasha Miller is being held at Methodist Hospital for treatment. She
is not under arrest, according to Lt. Jeff Duhamell, spokesman for the
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, but detectives are
continuing to investigate the case.A printed police report said the investigation began
when Miller went to the Methodist Hospital emergency room for treatment
of bleeding and complications of childbirth later in the day after
apparently having the baby in the morning. Miller reportedly told
hospital workers and police she had the baby in her apartment in the 600
block of East 11th Street but did not know where the infant was.Doctors told police
there was clear evidence that the woman had recently given birth,
Duhamell said.Police
said the woman has given several versions of what happened, including
that she had tossed the baby out of a vehicle on I-65 and that she had
placed the child in a trash container.Police couldn't find anything on the interstate, and
they unsuccessfully searched two trash dumps where Republic Waste
Services takes the contents of trash containers.No one had been arrested by late Sunday.

Police are still looking for a newborn baby whose 19-year-old mother
claims is dead but may still be alive. A hearing in the case took
place in juvenile court because central to the case is the well-being
of the little girl. The mother, Tasha Miller, told police she
delivered the child in her apartment one week ago. She claims the child
later died but she says she can't remember what she did with the baby.
Police say Miller's story has changed several times from taking it
to a safe haven, to leaving it in the trash, to dumping it along the
interstate. Miller did end up in the hospital for injuries
consistent with childbirth. She tested positive for marijuana use and is
now in a psychiatric ward. She has stopped talking to
investigators. "We're still holding out hope that maybe, hearing
her inconsistent stories over and over, maybe she did sell the baby,
gave the baby away. There's a lot still to be done. We're still holding
out hope that this child is still alive," said IMPD Lt. Jeff Duhamell.
The hearing before the judge was intended to compel Miller to
provide more details about the whereabouts of the child. However,
through her attorney she refused to answer The judge decided to
continue the case for another 48 hours. Miller is not expected to face
charges before within that time frame.

An Indianapolis woman who gave birth to a newborn baby alone at her
apartment early last week is still refusing to say where that baby is.


Tasha Miller, 19, told police she doesn't know where she
took the baby girl after giving birth a week ago Monday .
Her family attended a hearing Wednesday in juvenile court where a
caseworker with Indiana's Department of Child Services said Miller gave
conflicting accounts about what she did with the newborn.

Miller's
lawyers argued her statements could incriminate her and advised her not
to talk.

Earlier she told police the baby died and she placed
it in a Dumpster. But she had also said she took the baby to a safe
haven location like a fire station.

Police still hold out hope
for the baby, who a witness in the case said was named Raina Grace. "The
plea is that anyone with information about anybody having a newborn
baby, that they know the family didn't have anyone pregnant in that
family, or if they knew that no adoption procedures were going on, an
infant that just shows up at a house and taken in as their own. If
somebody has any questions about that again, they can direct their
inquiries or their tips to Crime Stoppers." The number to Crime
Stoppers is 262-TIPS.

A juvenile court judge says Miller has
until Friday afternoon to produce the child or face possible contempt
charges. If that doesn't happen, the Marion County Prosecutor's office
could pursue charges against Tasha Miller.

Mystery still surrounds the fate of a newborn baby who may have been
killed by its own mother.
19 year-old Tasha Miller told child welfare workers she may have
killed her baby girl accidentally and then dumped the child's body in a
dumpster.

Miller appeared at a hearing on the case Wednesday.
Police said she's given them conflicting reports about what happened
since she gave birth earlier this month at an apartment on East 11th
Street.

Investigators have been unable to locate the child, and
still don't know if she's dead or alive.

Police are asking anyone
with information about a newborn baby with no parents, or if you know
of a newborn and the mother was not pregnant, or if you know no adoption
procedures were going on, please call Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS.

Police have arrested 19 year-old Tasha Miller for failing to tell
officials the location of her baby.


Miller was given a deadline of noon Friday to tell police where the baby
was or to give evidence that the baby was dead. She failed to do so and
was arrested after her court appearance. She faces a preliminary charge
of felony neglect of a dependent.

Miller gave birth to her baby girl last week inside her apartment, but
has given police five different stories as to what she did with the
child, including whether the baby was born alive or dead.
If nothing changes before Monday, police will
operate off her latest story, in which she said the baby had stopped
breathing and that she threw the body in a dumpster inside a shoe box
and a Victoria's Secret bag.

IMPD Sgt. Paul Thompson says police will go to the Clinton County
landfill where the dumpster was emptied to search for the child. The
landfill has cordoned off the area where the dumpster is believed to
have been emptied.

When in hades are the victims going to have rights?? These damn defense lawyers tell their loser clients to shut-up, and it just burns my butt. We're talking about an infant here, the defense attorney should help his client by making her tell the truth, they can defend the scum of the earth but, they could also help the innocent victims.
I hope all defense attorneys burn in hell when it's their time.

More than a week after an Indianapolis mother told police she tossed
her newborn baby in the trash, police are not giving up hope of finding
the baby's body. Dozens of IMPD recruits plan to search a Clinton County
landfill for the baby's remains. While 19 year-old Tasha Miller
sits in the Marion County jail, her time behind bars all depends on what
Metro police find in a Clinton County landfill. On Friday, May
21, Miller was arrested after she failed to meet a court deadline to
produce a baby she told police she discarded in the trash. Investigators
said Miller told them she placed her dead baby in a shoe box into a
Victoria's Secret bag and left the items in a dumpster outside her
downtown apartment. After several interviews, investigators
determined Miller's trash was delivered to the landfill. Monday morning
Metro police will conduct a second search of the property. "We've
done similar things, but not on this scale and particular not this far
away from Indianapolis," said Metro Police Sgt. Paul Thompson. The
actual search area is located over top of a hill. About 40 people will
be involved including 32 IMPD recruits. They will be wearing protective
clothing, searching the area for about 6 hours. IMPD Sgt. Paul
Thompson said the gear will protect the recruits from contaminants.

"They'll be somewhat hampered by the fact that they have to wear a
respirator. That's going to protect them from any debris or any
contaminants that might be there," said Sgt. Thompson. Investigators
said workers at the landfill have identified a section that may contain
trash picked up from Miller's neighborhood. Some recruits will start
searching that area around 10 o'clock. "They will take a section
of the mound off at a time. They will be placed in an area about 10 x 10
x 1 foot deep and then 3 to six recruits will sift through that
debris," Sgt. Thompson said. IMPD expects the search process to
be intense considering the conditions and the heat. Investigators said
their goal is to find the baby's remains.

"That's our best hope
at this time that we find remains of this child in this landfill. This
was the information we were given and we're very fortunate they were
able to pinpoint this location as a potential site to find the baby,"
Sgt. Thompson said. The recruits searching for the baby will
leave Indianapolis Monday morning at 7. They will caravan with officers
from IMPD's missing person's department and IFD who will help them
assist in the search.

UPDATE: Search for missing baby comes up empty, for
now.
15 officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and 32
recruits from the training academy spent the day sifting through 30 feet
of trash and looking for a missing baby's body or any other evidence.
"It's hot. The suits are really hot," said IMPD recruit Jared
Hidlebaugh.
They worked in a rotation, with each group searching for no longer than
an hour before another group took over.
"Its hard to tell what is what."
The officers searched an area in the landfill where they believe the
trash from Tasha Miller's neighborhood was dumped.
"It's been what 15 days too and its been compacted twice before it got
here. so I mean that's what we're basically up against," said homicide
detective Marcus Kennedy.
"The trash is mixed in with so much dirt and other things its going to
be real real hard to find anything but at least they're trying."
IMPD officers arrested the 19 year-old last Friday, after she didn't
meet the deadline to tell them where she put the baby. Ever since she
gave birth on May 10th, she's given investigators different stories as
to what happened after the baby girl was born.
In one account, she told police she placed the newborn in a shoe box
inside a Victoria's Secret bag and threw it in the dumpster behind her
apartment. The trash in that dumpster was taken to the Clinton County
Landfill, where the search was conduction.
So far, police say they've found no evidence nor any human remains in
the search.

* * * *

PREVIOUS STORY:

A massive search got underway Monday morning at a landfill in Clinton
County. More than 40 people are searching for a missing newborn baby
believed to have been taken there.

The child's mother, 19 year-old Tasha Miller, sits in jail, charged with
neglect. She wound up at a local Emergency Room more than one week ago,
where hospital staff discovered she had recently given birth. There was
no sign of the baby.

No one appeared to have knowledge of Miller's pregnancy. Police believe
she gave birth alone in her apartment. A friend later drove her to the
hospital, having no knowledge of the labor or delivery. Miller told
several stories as to what happened to the newborn, then suddenly
stopped talking to investigators.

After failing to provide the child's whereabouts at a noon deadline
Friday, she was arrested and charged with neglect. Investigators believe
the baby is dead, and may have been thrown out into a dumpster. Trash
in the dumpster near Miller's apartment is taken to the Clinton County
landfill, and that's where a team of more than 40 officers are searching
as of Monday morning.

On a day police spent digging through a landfill for any trace of a
missing Indianapolis newborn, a group that advocates for parents' rights
said the baby's mother called its hotline a month before giving birth.Tasha B. Miller, 19,
is in jail and due in Marion Superior Court this morning to face
possible neglect charges even as the whereabouts of her baby girl remain unknown.
Dawn Robertson, spokeswoman for family rights group HonkforKids,
told reporters on Monday that Miller expressed fear during the
hotline call that her child would be taken into state custody because of
issues including her marijuana use.She also asked about delivering her child at home
during the phone call in mid-April, Robertson said. The group's director
advised Miller against that option because of the risk of complications
outside a hospital.
But Miller has told authorities that on May 10, she was alone in her
bedroom in her Downtown Indianapolis apartment when she delivered her
daughter. And two days later, she walked into Methodist Hospital,
needing medical care for complications from the birth and giving
conflicting stories of what had happened to the baby.
Her latest account, to a child services caseworker,
was that she deposited the baby's body in a trash bin the day of the
birth after inadvertently killing her while trying to help her breathe.
The April phone call didn't seem out of the ordinary, Robertson said, though she remembers
discussing it with HonkforKids' director Bif Guenthen at the time. She
said Guenthen spent about an hour on the phone with a woman who
identified herself as Tasha Miller.The group decided to discuss the call publicly now,
Robertson said, because its leaders fear that Marion County Prosecutor
Carl Brizzi is rushing to judgment.Brizzi has said he plans to charge Miller with felony
neglect, regardless of whether police find the baby or her remains. He
could request a delay in today's proceedings to allow more time to
consider charges.
"It's really difficult for us to believe she would harm the child," Robertson
said. "I think what we have is a very scared, frightened woman who was
in over her head and very fearful."
Robertson said she and Guenthen are holding out hope that the child
might still be alive somewhere, though the caseworker has reported to
Marion County's juvenile court that Miller said she was sure the child was dead.
Miller grew up in Frankfort.
HonkforKids does not keep a log of specific hotline calls, and
Robertson said Guenthen didn't record the conversation.
But Robertson, the group's assistant director and a
frequent critic of the Indiana Department of Child Services, said the
caller who identified herself as Miller asked about a variety of issues.Those included the
possibility of adoption, Indiana's Safe Haven Law for legally abandoning
a newborn and placing a child with a relative, Robertson said."Obviously, she was
terrified. She was looking for someone to trust and someone to give her
guidance about what the options were."The caller said she had not sought any prenatal care,
Robertson said, prompting Guenthen, a licensed practical nurse, to
refer her to Wishard Health Services."She spoke about being depressed and said she had
experience as a child in the (DCS) system," Robertson said, but the
caller didn't elaborate.
But she did reference media reports about children dying in foster care in
several high-profile cases in Indiana."She was terrified of the system and didn't want her
child to end up dead like the others," Robertson said.The caller was worried that a hospital's discovery of
her drug use could lead to DCS intervention. "She specifically asked
about the ramifications of her marijuana use," Robertson said.DCS spokeswoman Ann
Houseworth said drug testing of mothers and their newborns varies by
county. A positive test result for marijuana would prompt a hospital to
contact DCS, she said, but the agency wouldn't necessarily remove the
child from the mother's care.According to recent juvenile court documents, Miller
tested positive for marijuana at Methodist Hospital when she was
admitted.
Miller told DCS that she didn't learn she was pregnant for five or six months,
and then she kept the pregnancy secret."I would characterize it as she did want this child,"
Robertson said of the hotline call. "We believe she was trying to do
everything possible for this child."

The Indianapolis mother of a missing newborn - now presumed dead - had
her first appearance in Marion Superior Court this morning, but
prosecutors asked for more time to consider criminal charges.
Tasha B. Miller, 19, faces the possibility of a charge of neglect as a
Class A felony, Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi has said. A court
magistrate reset the hearing for 9 a.m. Wednesday, making that the
deadline to file charges. (Miller has been in custody since Friday.)Miller, who is on
suicide watch at the Marion County Jail, appeared sullen and said little
during the two-minute court hearing. Chris Hammerle, her
court-appointed attorney in a child welfare case in juvenile court, was
by her side. If she is charged she likely will receive another public
defender for the criminal matter.On Monday, dozens of police recruits and other
volunteers in protective gear sifted through garbage at the Clinton
County Landfill as authorities stepped up their search. Miller had told
police and a child services caseworker that she placed a shoebox
containing the body into a Victoria's Secret bag, then deposited the
package into the trash bin.She is being held on $100,000
bond.

The mother of a missing newborn is scheduled to
make another court appearance on Wednesday as the Marion County
prosecutor stepped up the heat on those who know Tasha Miller.Prosecutor
Carl Brizzi said he reviewed all taped statements of witnesses in
preparation for Miller's hearing.Indianapolis police have called
off the active search for the infant, born more than two weeks ago.
"We arrested her on felony neglect charges," Brizzi said. "Obviously,
the search has not produced the infant."Brizzi said the case will
be tough to prosecute without a body, but not impossible.Miller,
19, had little to say Tuesday as she walked from the jail to a
courtroom. Miller, when asked by reporters, where the baby is, just nodded her head.Brizzi
said he doesn't believe Miller could have given birth, walked down three
flights of stairs, discarded the baby in a Dumpster and then driven
herself to a hospital without others knowing exactly what happened."There
are people out there … who law enforcement believes have more
information who could be helping," Brizzi said. "We're going to continue
to press those folks, as well, to cooperate with authorities."A
neighbor says that she believes at least one other
person knows what happened to the infant."I believe her roommate
would know, but she's come up with so many different stories," the
neighbor, who didn't want to be identified, said. "I don't know what the
real story is."Investigators are still looking for evidence, but
they are not conducting specific searches after dozens tore through
tons of trash at a Clinton County landfill on Monday.Brizzi said
that others who may know what happened to the child are not likely to be
charged.

This girl needs to be put in a cell with "Bertha"...she will beat it out of her....How can you give birth to a baby and then just get rid of it....Makes me sick...I hope she gets the ultimate punishment...These women dont deserve to have children...

A woman who has refused to disclose the whereabouts of her newborn who
has been missing for two weeks said Wednesday she is relieved that
charges weren't filed against her.Tasha Miller, 19, smiled
briefly as she was led from a Marion County courtroom Wednesday. She had
been held since her arrest Friday on a felony child neglect charge."I'm
relieved," Miller said quietly when asked how she felt about
Wednesday's proceedings.


Prosecutors are awaiting additional information from either Miller or
witnesses before deciding what charges to file against Miller. In the
meantime, officials said she was taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital for a
psychological evaluation.Investigators have spent a lot of time
on the case, which came to their attention on May 12, when Miller went
to Methodist Hospital suffering from a severe infection related to
complications after having given birth.Police said Miller gave
conflicting accounts about what happened to the child, saying at
different points that the child had died and she had placed it in a
Dumpster outside her apartment, that she may have left the child on the
side of an interstate, put the infant on a porch of a neighbor's home or
threw it out a window.When 6News' Derrik Thomas
asked Wednesday what happened to the child, Miller replied, "I already
told you."When pressed on the question, Miller said, "I'm going
to tell my story," but didn't elaborate.Prosecutor Carl Brizzi
said that he reviewed all taped statements of witnesses in preparation
for Miller's hearing and that he thinks some know more."These
witnesses who are not willing to cooperate -- it's a temporary
roadblock, but we have the tools at our disposal," Brizzi said. "One of
those tools is the grand jury, which could compel them to come forward."Brizzi
said that whatever charges are filed, the case would be tough to
prosecute without a body, but not impossible."There are people
out there … who law enforcement believes have more information who could
be helping," Brizzi said. "We're going to continue to press those
folks, as well, to cooperate with authorities."A neighbor told
6News late Tuesday that she believes at least one other person knows
what happened to the infant."I believe her roommate would know,
but she's come up with so many different stories," the neighbor, who
didn't want to be identified, said. "I don't know what the real story
is."Investigators are still looking for evidence, but they are
not conducting specific searches after dozens tore through tons of trash
at a Clinton County landfill on Monday, coming up empty.

Police and volunteers spent many days last month searching a Clinton County
landfill for a newborn girl who is missing and presumed dead.
The girl's mother, Tasha Miller, told authorities she gave birth
alone in a Downtown apartment. She said she may have inadvertently
killed the baby while trying to help her breathe, then placed her
daughter in a trash bin outside the apartment.Miller has not been charged, but Marion County
authorities say they will continue to review the case.How should a person of faith consider this tragic
incident?
The Rev. Bill Clendineng,
Pastor, Plainfield Friends Meeting
~The story is a chain of tragedy. A young woman who is frightened and confused as
she faces giving birth to a child. An infant whose life is apparently
over barely after it began. A wider circle of family and friends who are
also confused, sad and looking for ways to help. And local officials
knowing that something went wrong but not knowing how to respond.Stories like this
produce a deep frustration and unease. We know that there must be some
way to avoid these kinds of tragedies, but we can't quite figure it out.
We know that there are already resources in place, both public and
private, that could have become involved much earlier in this chain of
tragedy. According to reports, the young woman did reach out to a help
line but was unable to make a connection that would meet her needs. The
resources are there, but in our fractured social fabric, the connections
to those resources are thin and tenuous.How do we connect people's needs to the rich
resources that are available? One of the keys is to rediscover and
rebuild community in small and large ways. We already know this. The
finale of "Lost" resonated with people because it pictured the
importance of community for people who began as strangers, often fought
against one another and finally recognized that they were in this
together. They were surrounded by symbols of faith, perhaps recognizing
that in a world of thin and tenuous connections, it is the traditions of
faith that help bring people together in deep ways.It is true that many terrible things have been done
in the name of faith, but the thick connections of community found in
faith groups are one of the answers to the needs of our splintered
culture.
The Rev. Danny Gulden,
Carmel Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)
~This challenges people of faith who believe in a loving and just God who
loves all of humanity. It breaks our hearts, and it breaks the heart of
God, who values each and every human life. While the first reaction may
be to condemn, I am reminded that Jesus very rarely condemned people.
His mission was to heal, to bring people and communities to a place of
wholeness that we refer to as the kingdom of God.
There will be and should be legal consequences for Tasha Miller, if she
is found guilty of wrongdoing. The authorities will investigate, and our
legal system will render a decision regarding what price she will pay.
My guess is that she also will live with the guilt of her actions
weighing upon her for the rest of her life. Guilt is an awfully hard
punishment all on its own. We should weep for this child, whose life was
only beginning -- a precious life, created by God, that has ended so prematurely.
In the big picture, people of faith should be challenged to continue
working toward the kingdom of God. We should be called into action so
that situations like this one never happen again. People of faith are
responsible for taking care of God's creation, and humanity is certainly
central to creation. We are reminded once again that life is both
sacred and fragile.My hope and prayer is that our response is one where we become even more
committed to taking action to reach out to our neighbors, to our
co-workers, to children and youths in need and ensure that they know the
love that God has to offer. If we each spent more time opening our
doors and hearts instead of closing doors, we would help make sure that
all people know the fullness of life through Christ.The hands of Christ are our own hands. We can be the
fulfillment of God's love that Tasha needed and will need moving
forward. We, as people of faith, can and should respond with love.

:O( Can't find any updates.

The mother of a missing newborn is expected to plead guilty to child neglect
as part of a plea deal with the Marion County Prosecutor. Nineteen-year-old
Tasha Miller's mixed up story about the whereabouts of her baby first
popped up when she went to the hospital to be treated for post-birth
complications. As part of an expected plea agreement, she has
come forward with what the prosecutor believes is the true story.


In the probable cause affidavit , Miller tells
investigators she is a lesbian and that, "her female domestic partner
would kill her if it were revealed she was pregnant."

Miller
went on to say she didn't receive any prenatal care and wore baggy
clothes to hide the pregnancy. Her labor started early Saturday
May 8. She gave birth to a fully developed female, but she says the
baby's breathing was shallow and her heartbeat was faint. The
baby went face down onto the mattress and Miller claimed she was so
faint from pushing, it was 20 minutes before she could pull the baby to
her.

Miller says she swept the baby's mouth with her finger in
an effort to remove any debris. She said that wasn't working, so she
massaged the baby's throat. According to the court documents, a crying
Miller, "stated she may have done this too aggressively, which may have
worsened the baby's condition." She stated after a few moments,
"she (the baby) was just gone." Miller says she cut the umbilical
cord with a pair of scissors. She wrapped the baby's deceased body in a
blanket and put her in a shoe box in a closet for four days. Tuesday,
May 11, she walked down three flights of stairs, threw the shoe box
containing the baby in the Dumpster of her apartment complex parking
lot. Police searched a landfill but did not find the baby's
remains.

A woman who refused to disclose the whereabouts of her missing newborn after giving birth in May was sentenced on Wednesday.



A
judge ordered Tasha Miller, 19, to serve four years in community
corrections with a mental health component, followed by a year and a
half on probation.Miller pleaded guilty to felony neglect after
police said she gave conflicting accounts about what happened to the
child, including that the child had died and she had placed it in a
Dumpster outside her apartment.
Despite extensive searching of nearby landfills, the infant's remains have not been recovered.As part of the plea agreement, Miller was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 16 suspended."(She
has) no criminal history and was facing, obviously, a tremendous amount
of time," said Chief Trial Deputy David Wyser. "If she messes up,
she'll be at the Department of Correction for the balance, up to the 20
years."Miller's attorney called the outcome the best for all parties."It's
a great resolution because I think it accomplishes the goals of the
state and help for Ms. Miller," said attorney Diane Black. "It was a
tragic situation and it was dealt with effectively."While on probation, Miller must perform 120 hours of community service, including giving speeches to pregnant teenagers.