Mother arrested after newborn's body found under porch
SHENANGO TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania -- A 23-year-old woman is facing charges after a child's body was found under a porch of a home in Pennsylvania.
Britney Robinson hid her face from WTAE cameras as investigators led her into magistrate court.
Robinson is charged with homicide, concealing the death of a child and abuse of a corpse following a gruesome discovery at her father's Shenango Township house Sunday.
Lt. Eric Hermick with the PA State Police said, "There was a homeowner that was actually doing decorative work, was putting up Christmas lights, running a wire under the porch and discovered a bag. When he opened the bag, he found the baby."
Court documents allege Robinson gave birth to a full-term baby boy in the bathtub at her home on Friday.
She told investigators the baby did not have a heartbeat or a pulse, so she wrapped him in a black t-shirt and put him in a bottom dresser drawer on the porch.
Police say she went back to check on the baby on Saturday and he still wasn't breathing.
And that is when she told investigators she moved him to the crawl space before going to work.
On Sunday, her father found the baby and called police.
Police say her family had no idea she was pregnant.
"They've all indicated that they were not aware of it, that she kept it a secret," Lt. Hermick said. "She has an 8-year-old child as well at this time, so she is familiar with being pregnant."
Court documents alleged she never sought medical attention or went to the police because she was scared.
After her arraignment, Robinson had nothing to say about the charges filed against her, or why she was crying in court.
Court documents say Robinson told police she also didn't know she was pregnant, but evidence of the scene proved otherwise.
A preliminary autopsy shows the baby was born after a full-term pregnancy, weighing seven pounds.
