"Newborn John Doe" - at birth/ (2009)/ Charged: Mother; Unnamed 15 yo - Amarillo TX

A 15-year-old girl is the only suspect in what police are calling one of the most gruesome infant homicides they've ever seen.
Around 11 a.m. Thursday, police got a call to an Amarillo hospital.
Doctors said a 15 year old had come in and looked to have given birth recently.
Police went to a house On the 4200 block of West 11th. In a closet, they found a newborn boy with an object blocking his airway.
Police say he died from asphyxiation. They also found a cardboard box with human tissue in it.
As of Friday afternoon, the 15 year old was still in the hospital. An autopsy has been ordered for the baby.

* * * *
Doctors alerted police Thursday morning after
the 15-year-old girl was admitted to the hospital and found to have
recently given birth.The girl denied being
pregnant and delivering a baby so police searched her home in the 4200
of West 11th and found the body of a near full-term baby boy hidden in
her closet. Police say the infant was anywhere between five minutes and
five hours old.An autopsy performed today
in Lubbock shows the preliminary cause of death as asphyxia determining
the baby was born alive and lived for some time after birth.Police are waiting for the teen to be released from the hospital before they can talk to her.Right now the Potter County Attorney's office is aware of the incident but no charges have been filed.

In a shocking discovery that investigators described as "horrendous," a
newborn infant was found dead in the closet of an Amarillo home, and
authorities are waiting to interview the 15-year-old mother in the
matter.Potter-Randall Special Crimes Lt. Gary Trupe said an autopsy conducted
Friday on the infant revealed that an object had been lodged in his
throat, causing asphyxiation. He said the infant was born alive
sometime this week - authorities believe it may have been Wednesday -
and was killed within the ensuing five hours.Police began their investigation when the 15-year-old was treated at an
Amarillo hospital for stomach pains and bleeding Thursday morning. It
appeared that the teenager had given birth, but she denied it.
The doctor who treated the girl, who's a student in the Amarillo Independent School District, notified police.
"He was concerned she may have had a baby and it wasn't being taken care of," Trupe said.
Police then went to the two-story home in the 4200 Block of West 11th Avenue where the teen lives with three adults.
They found a cardboard box containing human tissue inside the closet and then found the newborn wrapped in blankets.
Trupe said it was one of the worst cases investigators have seen involving the death of an infant.
"This one bothers us badly based on what we saw," Trupe said. "This one borders up there on horrendous."
It's believed to be the city's ninth homicide this year.
Neighbor Ryan Richardson said when he got home about 3:15 p.m. Thursday, "The place was swarming with cops."
He was stunned to discover the circumstances behind the death.
"It's a sad story," Richardson said. "There are other options. This is only something you hear about on TV."Richardson said he didn't know the residents but noticed "kids" coming
in and out of the house at all hours of the night. Shortly before 4:30
p.m. Friday, he said he watched one of the residents move out.While the teen was living with three adults, Trupe said her father is
in prison and her mother lives out of state. The father of the baby is
believed to be another teen. One of the adults living at the home is
the 15-year-old's guardian, but it wasn't clear Friday the relationship
to the other two adults.
He said Child Protective Services has launched its own investigation.Trupe said investigators believe the teen gave birth inside the home
but aren't sure if anyone helped her. He also said they're trying to
determine if the teen had any prenatal medical care.
They're also not sure who killed the infant. No charges had been filed as of Friday.
They are waiting until the teen is released from the hospital before questioning her further, he said.
Trupe said his office has notified the Potter County District Attorney's Office in case capital murder charges are filed.

Police say a 15-year-old girl checked into a local hospital last week when doctors found that she had recently given birth.The teen denied the birth or being pregnant. Officers searched the girls
home and found the body of a near full-term baby boy hidden inside the girl's closet.
Autopsy results showed the baby was born alive, and lived for a short time before dying of asphyxia.The teenager, who hasn't been identified because she is a minor, is being held in the Youth Center of the High Plains.

Prosecutors have charged a 15-year-old Amarillo girl with capital murder in the death of her newborn child.
Police said an object was lodged in the mouth of the newborn baby boy and that the infant was killed intentionally.
Police found the baby's body last Thursday after a hospital alerted that a
teenage girl had come in the night before complaining of stomach pain
and bleeding.
A doctor said the girl had recently given birth.
The girl, whose name has not been released, denied having been pregnant and delivering a baby.
Police say the boy was born last Wednesday and lived as long as five hours.
Fifteen is the minimum age at which a suspect may be charged with capital murder in Texas.
Prosecutors haven't decided whether to prosecute the girl as an adult or as a juvenile.
She remains in juvenile custody in the Center of the High Plains near Amarillo

TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2010
No date set for 15-year-old girl charged with capital murder

No hearing date has been set for a judge to rule whether a 15-year-old Amarillo girl should be tried for capital murder as an adult.

The girl was charged with capital murder mere days after her newborn son was found dead in her Southwest Amarillo home.

Potter County Attorney Scott Brumley, whose office is handling the case for now, wasn’t free to return my calls yesterday to get an update on the case.

The case is still being handled as a juvenile till a Potter County judge determines otherwise. Brumley’s office was waiting for a physiological evaluation to see if prosecutors wanted to pursue the case as an adult.

He said Tuesday morning that prosecutors are waiting to hear from the girl’s attorneys to see if she will plead guilty or not.

Brumley said, if her lawyers are interested in a trial, his office will further pursue a hearing to certify her as an adult.

The girl, whose name has not been released, is not eligible for the death penalty despite being charged with capital murder.

http://agn-davidpittman.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-date-set-for-15-year-old-girl.html

No update found.

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