Girl, 13, charged in baby’s death

Authorities said Friday that the preliminary autopsy report on a newborn infant found dead in the woods near Mableton shows no signs of trauma, although the cause of death is still unclear.

The infant’s mother, a 13-year-old Cobb County girl, is being charged as an adult in the death of the baby, and police are investigating other youths who may have been involved in leaving the body covered by leaves in a field behind an apartment complex.

The mother was arrested Thursday at her home and charged with felony first-degree cruelty to a child, felony murder – causing death in the commission of a felony – and concealing a death, Cobb County police spokesman Officer Mike Bowman said.

“This is a tragedy,” he told AM 750 and 95.5 FM News/Talk WSB. “You’ve got a 13-year-old child giving birth and then disposing of a baby. It’s very traumatic for all people involved.”

Cobb County Police spokesman Sgt. Dana Pierce told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the baby was born early Tuesday morning in the teen’s room.

“The girl’s parents were asleep in the bedroom next door during the birth,” Pierce said. “We believe ... that she discovered the baby deceased when she woke up (later) that Tuesday morning.”

The Cobb County Medical Examiner’s office continues to investigate the cause of death and wheth- er the infant was stillborn, Pierce said.

The teen remains in police custody.

“In that afternoon, after school, there were several other youth that participated in placing the body in a shoebox and placing it under those leaves,” Pierce said.

He said the 14-year-old father of the child has not been charged but is among those being investigated.

“One of those children became very emotional and felt guilty about what had been done,” Pierce said. “He reported it to school authorities, who reported it to school police that in turn reported it to Cobb police.”

Police investigators found the infant’s body around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, police said.