MARIETTA, Ga. (TCN) — A 17-year-old girl is facing charges for allegedly mutilating her newborn son’s body and attempting to bury him in her yard.
According to Marietta Police Department public information officer Chuck McPhilamy, on Sunday, Nov. 24, at approximately 3:20 p.m., officers responded to a home on Grambling Street and found the teen “digging a hole in the backyard in an attempt” to bury a newborn, who was “clearly injured” and deceased. McPhilamy said officers prioritized getting the teen to a hospital because she delivered a child in her home without any medical or peer assistance. McPhilamy called the situation “graphic” and “tragic.”
The teen’s uncle called police for help when he noticed her digging in the yard. According to McPhilamy, there is a language barrier with the family, but they have been cooperating with investigators.
McPhilamy said, “Our hearts go out to them for the tragedy they are having to unpack.”
The teen reportedly gave birth about six hours before police showed up at her house. McPhilamy said the medical examiner has the newborn’s remains and is determining whether the baby boy was born alive and is researching other factors. Those results could take several weeks.
WAGA-TV, which cites the teen’s arrest warrant, reports the girl put her son’s body in a blanket and placed it inside a grocery bag. The boy allegedly had knife wounds on his body as well.
The teen is in custody at a local hospital. Upon her release, she will be booked into the Cobb County Jail on charges of concealing a death, throwing away or abandonment of a dead body, and abuse of a dead body. She could face additional charges based on autopsy results.
McPhilamy called the incident “a situation that defies logic.”