Girl faces charge of abandonment

EVERETT, Wash. – Bail has been set at $50,000 for a 17-year-old girl who was arrested after the discovery of a newborn baby in a black plastic garbage bag, and prosecutors say she likely will be charged with abandonment.

Deputy Prosecutor John E. Stansell said a doctor had determined that the girl had recently given birth. She remained in custody at the Denny Juvenile Justice Center.

Stansell, who must decide on charges by this afternoon, said she probably would be charged with second-degree abandonment of a dependent person but, depending on the results of an investigation, could face more serious charges that would be heard in adult court.

“We’re still waiting for police to finish up their investigation,” Stansell said. “There are certain charges being considered that are more serious where she would be automatically declined to be tried as a juvenile.”

The baby, found late Saturday night by neighbors who heard crying in a new residential development on the east side of Marysville, was in satisfactory condition at Providence Everett Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Cheri Russum said.

The girl, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested early Sunday after police followed a trail of blood droplets from the baby to her relatives’ house. She had been in the United States about three months on a visa and was staying with her sister and brother-in-law, who live near the retaining pond beside which the baby was found, Krusey said.

The father of the baby lives in Mexico, authorities said.

It was not clear whether the girl’s relatives knew she was pregnant, but evidence presented by police in a probable-cause affidavit indicated “her local family had been involved in trying to cover up what happened,” Judge Michael T. Downes said in court.

The sister and brother-in-law would not comment on the case Monday. The teen’s parents are expected to arrive from Mexico later this week, defense lawyer Hortensia Castillo said.

Under Washington state’s 2002 Newborn Safety Act, as with similar laws in other states, parents may abandon healthy babies less than 72 hours old at hospitals and fire stations without being subject to prosecution.

But there are no statistics on how often that occurs, as no one has been charged with keeping track, said Kathy Spears, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Social and Health Services.