Thread: Mex. 14 yr old kills baby at Cinco de Mayo festival- NJ

Teen mom charged with murder

By JOSEPH P. SMITH • Staff Writer • May 8, 2008



BRIDGETON -- A teenage girl has been charged with first-degree murder in the drowning death of her newborn son over the weekend.
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Cumberland County Prosecutor Ronald J. Casella said the complaint was served Wednesday on the 14-year-old. The allegation is she caused the baby's death, he said.

"Specifically, by giving birth in a public toilet bowl, and then removing the baby from the toilet bowl section and placing the baby into the toilet tank, which contained water and could conceal the baby's location," he said.

Authorities are identifying her only by the initials I.S. because of her age.

The girl allegedly gave birth while at a Cinco de Mayo celebration at the Cumberland County Fairgrounds on Sunday. Prosecutors say she then stuffed the child into the toilet tank.

Casella said authorities presently do not believe anyone else was involved in the drowning.

The girl, who attends Bridgeton High School, is not being held at the county Juvenile Detention Center, but at an undisclosed site for an indeterminate time. The reason for the arrangement was not made public.

An arraignment date is not set, but Family Court, which is not open to the public, has jurisdiction because of her age. The court would have to grant a juvenile trial waiver motion, assuming the prosecution files one.

"We haven't made a determination at this point whether or not she'll be tried as an adult or as a juvenile," Casella said. "That's a decision that, first of all, is going to wait until we get the reports of the investigation.

"Beyond that, 14 is the youngest age that a juvenile can be tried as an adult," he added. "There are a lot of factors that we need to look at. Not the least of which is the overall well being of this young person and how that might compare against the needs of society to prosecute and punish people for a particular crime."

Casella said the girl is believed to have given birth about 8:15 p.m. Sunday. A cleaning crew found the body Monday morning.

The girl was at the fairgrounds with family and friends, Casella said.

"She apparently had concealed that she was pregnant," Casella said. "A friend of the family had some suspicions that she was, and she read one of the newspaper accounts and went to the teenager's father with it. And that was sort of a tip off that was the key to the investigation."

Casella said investigators received important help from the city's Mexican community.

"In fact, we were very pleased with that," he said. "And I kind of bring that out because it's a concern of ours that frequently people in the Mexican community are a little wary of cooperating with law enforcement."

Asked whether the parents came to police, Casella said, "Eventually that happened. Things were going on at the same time. We found the family to be actually pretty helpful."

Casella said the state Division of Youth and Family Services is involved with the family. He would not comment on whether the involvement preceded the arrest.

Casella said the girl speaks English, but her citizenship status was not known.

Cumberland County has some of the worst statistics in New Jersey when it comes to teenage pregnancy and the health of babies.

County government, with the Children First Initiative, and nonprofits, with programs like Open Arms at Community Health Care Inc., are working separately and together on remedies.

"What I think unfortunately, and hopefully this is very atypical, is that you have someone who has not gone to get some help or assistance at this particular time," Casella said. "There certainly were a lot of options open to her, including ways to place her baby if she felt that she couldn't be there for the baby."

"I was literally shocked and saddened to hear it was a 14-year-old young lady," said county Freeholder Douglas Rainear, who is retired from the city school district. "Certainly, it indicates the need for the county to move forward with the Children First Initiative."

"Certainly, it's a symptom of young people having children before they are ready for them," county Health Officer Herbert W. Roeschke said.

"Certainly, it's a symptom of young people having children before they are ready for them,"

Needs her tubes tied. Anyone who does this to an innocent little one does not deserve to be able to have ANY more babies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This would not happen if our National Borders were Secured and our Immigration Laws were Enforced. Their family "values" do not stop at the Border, per "our" President Bush.