A teenager in Georgia has been arrested after police say she was found trying to bury her newborn baby in her backyard.
Authorities responded to a home in Marietta on Sunday, November 24, following reports of a newborn’s death. When officers arrived just after 3 p.m., they discovered the baby deceased inside the house. The mother, 17-year-old Leticia Rodriguez, was taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
According to a warrant, Rodriguez had given birth about six hours earlier. She allegedly covered her baby’s body with a blanket and put it in a grocery bag. A family member reportedly caught her digging a hole outside in an attempt to bury the infant.
Marietta police officer Chuck McPhilamy confirmed, “We did see the mother of the deceased infant digging a hole in the backyard in an attempt to create that situation. The infant was never actually buried.”
Once she is released from the hospital, police plan to take her to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center. Rodriguez faces serious charges, including concealing a death, abuse of a dead body, and abandonment of a dead body. She will be held without bond.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities expect more charges after the medical examiner determines the cause of death. Locals expressed their shock over the incident, with one resident sharing her disbelief at such a tragic event happening in the neighborhood.
