MJP –
A young mom faces charges after giving birth on her college campus, killing the child and leaving the remains in a trash can, authorities said.
Brianna Moore, 19, was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, child neglect with great bodily harm, failure to report death, and unlawful storage of human remains by Florida authorities.
Moore was arrested on Friday in Mississippi and awaits extradition to Hillsborough County, Florida.
On April 27, Moore’s roommates at the University of Tampa reported hearing a baby crying and finding blood in their dorm room, according to WFLA.
Police arrived and spoke to Moore who denied she was pregnant and said the blood was from her menstrual period, according to the WFLA report.
The next day, the roommates found a bloody towel in Moore’s trash can and called police again. When officers arrived, they found a dead baby girl wrapped in a towel.
State prosecutors said Moore said she gave birth in a dorm’s bathroom, according to WFLA. She held the baby tight against her body, until the child stopped crying. An autopsy found the child had multiple fractured ribs and hemorrhaging.
Moore also said after the child stopped crying, she felt for a heartbeat and put the newborn on a towel thinking she had already passed. She cleaned the baby with water and then fell asleep for an hour, according to WFTS.
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When she woke up, the child had no signs of life, Moore said. She then wrapped the child back in the towel, placed the newborn in the trashcan, and went back to sleep.
“It breaks my heart to know that this baby girl could still be alive today if this woman had alerted authorities that she needed help,” State Attorney Suzy Lopez said in a statement. “Instead, she took actions that directly led to the death of her newborn baby.”
