A teenage mother has been arrested after her newborn was found dead at a Marietta home Sunday afternoon, according to authorities.
Marietta police responded to a call on Gramling Street shortly after 3 p.m., after the mother’s uncle saw her digging a hole in the backyard of the home and called 911. Officers found the boy dead when they arrived at the home, though he had not been buried, police said.
“We can’t imagine the trauma that they are going through, facing now the reality of what has occurred and the loss of a loved one, as well as now all of the charges that one of their other loved ones is facing,” police spokesperson Chuck McPhilamy said.
After working overnight interviewing people and collecting evidence, officers arrested the child’s mother, 17-year-old Leticia Rodriguez, who was immediately taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.
Rodriguez gave birth at the home several hours before she tried digging the hole and was in need of medical attention, police said. The newborn was “clearly injured” and had physical signs of trauma, but police are waiting for the medical examiner to determine if he was stillborn, according to McPhilamy.
The boy “appeared to be a fully formed or full-sized child,” he added.
Credit: Ben Hendren for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Ben Hendren for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Warrants were obtained for charges of concealing a death, abuse of a dead body and abandonment of a dead body, McPhilamy said. Rodriguez will be booked into the Cobb County jail following her release from the hospital. McPhilamy said information in the warrant was “graphic.”
The family is from Guatemala, and officials said confusion from the 911 call due to the language barrier led to the notion that the newborn had been buried. Police also said no one offered the teen assistance at the home after giving birth.
McPhilamy said a motive is unclear and that the incident “defied logic.” Police said they were looking into whether the family knew she was pregnant.
“So you can imagine just the trauma of childbirth. She needed medical attention. She is now at the hospital, receiving that. Investigators (will) work throughout the evening to determine what exactly caused all of this,” McPhilamy said.
It’s unclear if the mother is enrolled in any local schools, police said. Her immigration status is part of the police investigation, according to McPhilamy. The family members at the home are all cooperating.
McPhilamy said additional charges are possible.
“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? What was the cause of death? So there’s a lot of questions at play,” he said.
McPhilamy said anyone dealing with a similar situation should contact their police department or counseling services and faith-based organizations throughout the community.
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