CLOVIS, Calif. -- An 18-year-old California mother is accused of killing her newborn daughter and dumping her body in a garbage can, according to The Fresno Bee.
Police were called to a home in Clovis on Wednesday after someone reported seeing something bloody in a trash can.
Officers found the newborn girl dead in the garbage after they say the child’s mother, Angelena Hamilton, placed her inside. Hamilton reportedly never told her family that she was pregnant.
"Needless to say they, too, were devastated by what has occurred," Clovis Police Chief Matthew Basgall said at a press conference Thursday.
The 18-year-old later admitted that she gave birth on Wednesday but didn’t seek medical help for herself or her child. She didn't give any possible motive to investigators, according to law enforcement.
"She's an 18-year-old college student taking classes, doesn't appear to have any criminal history," Basgall said.
Police believe the baby was alive when she was born at about 6 a.m. An autopsy has been scheduled to find out how and when she died.
“It’s devastating to realize a newborn baby’s life was lost and that she made the decision that she did,” Basgall said. “Nobody wants to see this happen. It’s sad when this occurs when there are so many options out there.”
Hamilton was arrested on charges of manslaughter and felony child abuse.
