Cops: Parents Find Dead Baby in Their Daughter's Bed

The 17-year-old says she didn't know she was pregnant
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted May 12, 2016 3:44 PM CDT
Cops: Parents Find Dead Baby in Their Daughter's Bed
Stock photo   (Shutterstock)

Parents in Chula Vista, California, were making their teenage daughter's bed on Monday when they made a grisly discovery: the body of a newborn. NBC San Diego reports the parents called 911, and police interviewed their 17-year-old daughter. The teen said she didn't know she was pregnant and "unknowingly gave birth to the child while in bed," according to the Chula Vista Police Department. The baby boy weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces and appeared to have been carried to term. Authorities believe he had been born between 24 and 36 hours before the teen's parents found him.

The cause of death for the newborn is not known at this point, and authorities are working to determine if a crime has been committed. The Washington Post quotes Royal College of Midwives professor Helen Cheyne, who says it is "not particularly rare" for women to be unaware of their pregnancy, either for physiological or psychological reasons. “While we may continue to read these news reports with some disbelief, we must ensure that we respect and protect the women behind these tales of the unexpected," she says. (More dead baby stories.)

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