Baby Buried In Yard: Body Of Newborn Found In Shallow Grave After Teen Gives Birth

A baby was found buried in a yard at the home of a 16-year-old girl who allegedly gave birth to the child. The grisly find happened at Fox Ridge Farms subdivision in Louisburg, North Carolina, Franklin County Sheriff Jerry Jones said.

According to WNCN, the baby was discovered Sunday night at 10 pm. The newborn girl weighed 8 1/2 pounds, and an investigation is underway to find out if she was alive when she was born of if she was stillborn.

Jones explains that deputies were following up on a tip when they went to the house. When deputies arrived at the teen’s home, they were told she wasn’t home. Things changed later when the teen’s father called for them to return.

ABC 11 News reports that the father of the teen found the baby buried in the backyard just hours after she gave birth. Jones explains how the teen’s father found the buried baby:

“He noticed a tool was out of place, and that led him further. Then, he noticed some earth had been disturbed, and so he began to pry and poke around. And then he found a deceased baby in a shallow grave in a brown bag.”

The report says that the sheriff was tipped off by another teen who saw a text message regarding the incident. The teen was at work when authorities first arrived, ABC 11 News reports.

Jones says the parents had no idea their daughter was even pregnant. Speculations point to the baby’s birth happening on Sunday afternoon. Authorities believe the teen acted alone when she allegedly buried her baby in the backyard, and they have sent out a plea. Jones offers this information to teens:

“Anybody that gets in this situation, there are options. There are safe havens. North Carolina has done a lot to protect young children and newborns. There is somewhere to drop them off. There are hospitals for them to go to to say, ‘Hey I’m having this baby and I’m too young, or financially I can’t afford it. I need some help.’ All of those options are better than the shock and the pain that several people will follow.”

No charges have been filed against the teen since the baby was found buried in the yard, but the sheriff’s office is working with the district attorney’s office to figure out how to proceed next.

The unidentified teenage mother is currently at WakeMed, and the sheriff say the baby’s father is also a teenager.
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