A 17-year-old Georgia girl was arrested over the weekend after a family member caught her digging a hole in the backyard to bury her newborn baby.
A warrant says that Leticia Rodriguez wrapped the infant in a blanket and then put the body into a grocery bag, concealing the death for about 6 hours after the birth in her bedroom on Sunday, WAGA reported.
“The uncle is the one who made the discovery of her digging in the backyard and contacted authorities for assistance,” said Marietta Police Public Information Officer Chuck McPhilamy.
The warrant also says that Rodriguez abused the baby boy’s body with a pocket knife.
Rodriguez was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital for treatment, WANF said.
“The trauma of childbirth, she needed medical attention. She’s now at the hospital receiving that,” said McPhilamy.
Rodriguez will be book on charges of concealing a death, throwing away or abandonment of dead body, and abuse of dead body when she is released, WAGA said.
“The medical examiner has the deceased infant, and it will be up to them to determine was this infant born alive or not, was the infant viable or not, what is the exact age and what is the cause of death,” McPhilamy said, according to WANF.
Additional charges are possible, investigators said.
