A New York woman was charged with the murder of her three month old baby girl on Saturday.
Christina M. Colantonio, 28, was a quiet resident of Liberty Street in Batavia, New York. She had two children and a decent relationship with her neighbors. Those neighbors described her as a “quiet girl,” “a nice girl,” and not the kind of girl to get into trouble.
Colantonio was hiding a dark secret from her neighbors.
“It’s horrible,” Jennifer Hageman, a neighbor of Colantonio’s, told the Daily News . “Considering the street is so quiet, that you would never think that it would happen here. You would definitely think somewhere like State Street, where it’s a little crazier.”
“It’s sad,” said Amy Wolfe, another neighbor. “It’s very sad. You don’t think it’s going to happen here.”
On Thursday night, an unnamed acquaintance visited the 20-year-old at her apartment in Batavia. During the visit that person came across a disturbing sight: the still body of a baby girl.
Immediately, that acquaintance called 911 and reported what was seen.
Police officers responded to the call and arrived at the residence at approximately 11:30 p.m. after being told there was a “suspicious condition” on the premises.
“Batavia police detectives were able to determine that [the baby] was born at home and that [Colantonio] kept the deceased infant there for a prolonged period of time,” said Detective Sgt. Todd Crossett at a news conference.
Officials have been reluctant to release information on how the baby girl died or how they know it was murder. They cite a lack of autopsy report and the nature of the investigation as the reason for discretion.
“We have enough to come to a conclusion that the death [of the baby girl] was intentionally caused, but because of the fact that we do not have a final autopsy report, and because of the investigation, we won’t be able to give anything further at this time,” Genesee County District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said during the news conference.
According to officials, the baby girl was killed soon after her birth, but Colantonio lived with the body of the baby girl for around three months.
Police officers were so horrified by the condition of the baby that it has been reported by ABC News that the officers that found her were offered counseling .
Colantonio has been charged with second-degree murder and is being held in Genesee County Jail without bail.
[ Image courtesy of Batavia Police Department ]
