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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cause Still Unknown In Newborn’s Death

From Staff And Wire Reports

Authorities have been unable to determine what caused the death of a newborn whose body was found in the crawl space of a home here, the Snohomish County medical examiner’s office said Tuesday.

The body of the baby girl was found Friday by police officers. An autopsy Monday resulted in a cause-of-death finding of “undetermined,” the medical examiner’s office said.

A call to prosecutors about the case was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Authorities were alerted Friday by a Child Protective Services caseworker after the agency got a call from an Edmonds doctor who said he had treated a 17-year-old girl who apparently had recently given birth.

The girl denied she’d had a baby, and there was no record of such a birth at area hospitals.

Officers obtained a search warrant and found evidence of a birth at the girl’s home. They later found the baby’s body in a bag, hidden in a crawl space.

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