Authorities in Florida detained a 19-year-old woman for reportedly giving birth to a baby in her college dorm room bathroom, killing the daughter, and dumping the body in a garbage can. Brianna Moore has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and child maltreatment with serious bodily damage, according to the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office.
Moore’s roommates at McKay Hall at the University of Tampa contacted 911 on April 27 after hearing a baby cry and discovering blood on their bathroom floor. Paramedics examined Moore, who denied being pregnant and blamed the blood on her menstrual cycle.
But the next day, the roommates discovered a bloody towel in Moore’s trash can and phoned the cops again. Responding officers unraveled the towel and discovered the deceased baby within.
“When Tampa Police interviewed Moore that day, she admitted to delivering the baby in the bathroom and holding the baby tightly to her body until she stopped crying,” the prosecutor claimed.
Moore then admitted to tossing the girl in the trash. According to an arrest report obtained by the Tampa Bay Times, she told cops after Miranda that she believed the baby was dead. She reportedly took a shower, cleansed the kid with water, and placed her on her bedroom floor before falling asleep for nearly an hour.
After she awoke, the girl still exhibited no signs of life, so she wrapped the newborn in a towel, according to the affidavit. Investigators believe she was in denial about her pregnancy.
An autopsy revealed that she died of suffocation as a result of torso compression. She had many cracked ribs and a lung hemorrhage. The method of death was homicide.
After getting an arrest warrant, officers arrested the defendant in her home state of Mississippi. She is awaiting extradition back to Florida. She is also charged with unlawful storage, preservation, or transfer of human remains, as well as failing to notify a death to a medical examiner or police enforcement.
“It breaks my heart to think that this newborn girl may still be alive today if this lady had informed authorities that she needed assistance. Instead, she performed activities that directly resulted in the death of her newborn baby.
This is a tough and delicate case to prosecute, and our community must continue to educate women about the various resources available to them in similar situations. “This baby’s death was preventable,” State Attorney Suzy Lopez said in a statement.
Florida, like many other states, has a Safe Haven Law, which permits people to drop off unwanted newborns at a fire station or hospital within 30 days, no questions asked. Lopez stated that Moore could have easily done so.
“For crying out loud, there’s a fire station across the street from the University of Tampa,” Lopez remarked during a press conference, appearing to choke back tears. “Tampa General Hospital is a mere two to three minutes away by car.”
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