A 14-year-old girl of Long Bridge in Airy Castle, St. Andrew was charged by the police on Monday with infanticide after she reportedly burnt her newborn baby to death and dumped the body into a riverbed close to where she lived.
By Andrea DownerThe report from an autopsy that was performed on the baby's charred remains stated that the child was "born alive and death was caused by burning."
A 21-year-old youth from the same district, who is believed to be the father of the murdered infant, has been arrested and charged with carnal abuse.
Detective Constable R. Smith of the Stony Hill Police Station, who is the investigating officer, told THE STAR that the teenager, who was a student at a Corporate Area high school, apparently concealed her pregnancy from her parents and friends and gave birth to a baby boy unassisted, while she was alone at home on Saturday, July 10.
Denied rumours
Detective Constable Smith said the girl's parents told him that she repeatedly denied rumours that she was pregnant and even shed tears on more than one occasion when she was confronted about it.
He said last month, less than a month before the teenager gave birth to a "fully developed infant", a pregnancy test that was performed by medical personnel at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) suggested that the girl was not pregnant. He said this was confirmed by the hospital after the girl was arrested.
Detective Smith, said he, the girl's parents, and the hospital are at a loss as to how the test for pregnancy could have returned a negative reading as the young mother confessed to having the baby and then burning it after she was confronted with the results of the autopsy.
Prior to that, she had staunchly maintained that she had burnt the body of a dead cat. Under this pretext, she even enlisted the help of two cousins and two of her neighbours who are all minors, to set the bundle alight.
Rice bags
Detective Corporal Smith said the teenager wrapped the baby in three rice bags and placed it into a barrel and set it ablaze. He said she told the children that she was burning the body of a dead cat and they assisted her in the process.
After the barrel was rolled into a riverbed, a neighbour smelled the burnt remains, investigated and discovered the human remains and called the police.
Detective Corporal Smith said the teenager was taken to UHWI and then to the Victoria Jubilee Hospital where she was admitted for four days, during which, she expelled the afterbirth ? remnants of her pregnancy, that was still in her womb.
Detective Constable Smith said that DNA tests will be done on the teenager, the 21-year-old youth, and the baby's remains, in order to determine if there is a genetic link among the three.
The teenager is being held at a State-run girls' home in the Corporate Area and is scheduled to appear in the Corporate Area Juvenile Court on Thursday. The 21-year-old youth is to appear in the Corporate Area Magistrate's Court on July 21.
