Police say they’re going to Ga. Teen caught digging a hole in the garden to bury newborns

On By Pranco

A Georgia teen was arrested after authorities said she was digging a hole in her backyard to bury her newborn baby.

Officers responded to a home in Marietta, Georgia, on Sunday, Nov. 24, just after 3 p.m., on a report of the death of a newborn baby, Marietta police said in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Tuesday, Nov. 26.

Police said they found the newborn dead in the home. Authorities arrested the baby’s mother, 17-year-old Leticia Rodriguez, and took her to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital for treatment, the statement said.

In an order obtained by Fox 5 AtlantaAuthorities say Rodriguez tried to bury her baby about six hours after delivery. She allegedly hid the child’s body in a blanket and a shopping bag before a relative found her digging a hole in the backyard, according to the warrant.

“We observed the mother of the deceased child digging a hole in the backyard in an attempt to create such a situation,” said Marietta Police Officer Chuck McPhilamy. Atlanta News First. “The child was never actually buried.”

Once Rodriguez is released from the hospital, police plan to take her to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center in Marietta, where she will be held without bond. The teen is charged with concealment of a death, abuse of a corpse and abandonment of a corpse, the statement said.

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Police said the investigation is still ongoing and additional charges are expected to be filed after the medical examiner’s office determines the baby’s cause of death.

A local resident told me Atlanta News First that she was shocked when she heard about the tragic incident.

“I’ve lived here for 30 years and as far as I know nothing has happened in this neighborhood,” says Theresa Neill. “It’s just sad that something like this has surfaced and you know my heart goes out to anyone who (has) lost children.”