“Teen punches baby” isn’t the kind of disgusting headline you want to read on a Friday morning, but police in Benzie County, Michigan, are reporting that’s exactly what happened.
Authorities said 18-year-old Alyce Morales admitted she “freaked out” after giving birth at the Platte River Campground in Benzie County. The birth occurred inside a campsite tent after which Morales said she struck the child in the head with her closed fist. The newborn, a girl, died the next day at an area hospital.
According to a report from MLive.com, the baby was born a little after 11 pm on Monday night. Morales was visiting the campground with her parents , who did not know she was pregnant, police said.
According to official court documents, Morales admitted to keeping her pregnancy a secret. “Alyce did not want to tell her parents for fear of disappointment,” said a detective working the case.
On the night of the crime, Morales reportedly told her parents she felt ill and then retreated to the family’s tent. It was there that she gave birth. Morales’ father walked into the tent a few moments later and discovered Morales with the newborn, who had already received the lethal blow to the head.
The baby was rushed to Munson Medical Center, and died the next morning. A separate report from the Traverse City Record-Eagle revealed an autopsy showing the child in the “teen punches baby” case had received “serious injuries” to the head and abdomen, indicating more than a single blow might have occurred.
Morales has been charged with “open murder,” and is being held without bond in the Benzie County Jail. Here’s a mugshot:
Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the only case of child abuse to result in death at the hands of a close family member in recent months.
Two weeks ago, The Inquisitr brought you the story of a Chicago grandmother, who killed her 8-year-old granddaughter after months of abuse, and then last month, we told you about six-month-old Kelsey Major , who was shot to death in a domestic dispute between her parents.
As for the “teen punches baby” case, what sentence do you think the mother should receive?
[Image via ShutterStock ]
