Woman detained following discovery of dead foetus
Less than six weeks after a sanitation worker found the body of a newborn baby boy floating in the North Creek Canal, tonight Belize City police have yet another case of infanticide on their hands. This time, the foetus, believed to be between sixteen and twenty weeks old, was found wrapped in a plastic bag at a residence in the St. Martin De Porres area. In this incident however, authorities were able to track down the mother. The twenty-one year old woman remains under guard at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where she has been receiving medical treatment.
G. Michael Reid, Police Press Officer
“We did receive a call from a concerned individual. The police visited the residence and found on the veranda a foetus wrapped up in a plastic apparently seemingly ready to be disposed of. So we again applaud the efforts of people who do get involved and we certainly want to say thanks to the individual who did make that call.”
“It was not full term. I believe it was between four and five months. It is now at the K.H.M.H. awaiting a post mortem examination and the doctors will be able to determine what transpired here. It is unfortunate and of much concern, given the fact that this is right on the heels of another incident where the police found a foetus in the canal.”
“The Commissioner advises all persons that the concealment of birth is a serious offence and that in fact the mother in this instance is also liable for harm and needs medical assistance for sure.”
According to Police Press officer G. Michael Reid, once the mother is released from the K.H.M.H., she will be charged.
