A young mother in Palm Beach County, Florida, faced criminal charges after being arrested in connection with the 2022 death of her newborn baby. The child died shortly after Bianca R. DeSouza, who was 19 at the time, gave birth alone in her home, according to court records.

Authorities rushed to the scene after an emergency call reported an unresponsive infant at a home in unincorporated Boca Raton.

Upon arriving, Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office deputies and fire rescue personnel immediately performed CPR and administered epinephrine before transporting the child to a nearby hospital. The baby was pronounced dead a short time later.

DeSouza was booked into the Palm Beach County jail on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect with great bodily harm following a long-running investigation by local authorities.

Police bodycam footage uploaded by PoliceCam Busts on YouTube shows deputies arresting DeSouza. When officers knock on the door, a relative answers. She calmly listens to what the police have to say. The deputy says that he is there to drop off some paperwork to Bianca.

As soon as she hears that the officer is there to see the deceased baby’s mother, her tone and demeanor change.

“She’s upstairs. Would you like to go up and get her yourself,” she asks the deputy.

The officer explains that he has a warrant for her arrest.

“I’m sure you kind of are somewhat aware of what was going on earlier in the year, and they filed an arrest warrant with the State Attorney’s Office and the judge signed it. So, I’m trying to just do this peacefully and easy.”

After a quick chat, the deputy allows the family member to go inside and get DeSouza and explain the situation to her son so he doesn’t get upset.

As DeSouza comes downstairs, the deputy breaks down the severity of the situation.

“So we have a way of doing things. That’s that’s why we’re explaining it to you the way that we are. You have an arrest warrant. It’s regarding the incident that the detectives already talked to you about, I think about 2 months ago,” he tells her.

“…You have an arrest warrant. You have to come with us tonight. You’re going to see a judge in the morning…You have to see a judge in the morning. You speak to the judge and there’s going to be an opportunity for a bond and potentially bond out. But for tonight and actually for this to happen at this time of night, this is a good time of night for this to happen because now you don’t have to sit in the jail all morning.”

“I’m going to treat you like a lady. I’m not here to treat you like a criminal, but I just ask that you follow directions…you’re going to help us pick out your clothes. And we’re going to allow you to go to the bathroom and get dressed, okay? I need you to stay down here.”

At the police station, an investigator asks DeSouza to revisit the day her newborn baby was born and eventually died. When asked what kind of medications she was on, she says she had never been consistent.

She is then given a dummy and asked to physically explain what went wrong. The suspect breaks down as soon as she sees the replica baby. The investigator comforts her with a hug.

She tells him that the baby came out head first. She picked him up by his shoulders.

“And I put him here in my shorts and I took my shorts off. I just didn’t care anymore. I just left him like this on my leg.”

DeSouza said that the newborn was facing her as she took him on her lap. The baby stopped crying in ten minutes. Not knowing what to do, she stayed in that position for about 10 minutes.

“(I) stared at the wall. Probably went on my phone. I really don’t remember,” she said.

The investigator informs her that the medical examiner’s office has ruled asphyxia as the cause of the newborn’s death and homicide as the manner. He tells her that since she didn’t take any action to save the baby, it is considered that she killed him. 

Disclaimer: The Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available within the public video record.