The child was found Friday in a sewer on…
By Chris Fuchs
The police were questioning a 15-year-old girl Friday night after finding the body of a 2-day-old baby, wrapped in a plastic bag, in a storm sewer in South Jamaica, just down the block from where the girl lives.
The child was found Friday in a sewer on the corner of 115th Avenue and 155th Street in South Jamaica, said Sgt. James Foley, a police spokesman. The infant was pronounced dead on the scene, he said.
The girl, 15, who police say gave birth to the child, had not been charged as of Sunday night, the police said. Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner, said an autopsy had been performed on the infant over the weekend. The office, however, was still awaiting the results of tests Tuesday to determine whether or not the child was born alive, she said.
Last Thursday, the girl checked herself into Jamaica Hospital around 9:20 p.m. and told the physician that she was experiencing stomach pains, the police said. A physical examination revealed that the girl had recently given birth, the police said.
Soon after, hospital officials notified the police after realizing that they had delivered the girl’s baby on Feb. 14, the police said. On Friday evening, the police went to the girl’s house and interviewed her, the police said. Hours later, the police discovered the baby in the storm sewer, down the block from where residents on 115th Avenue say the girl lives.
“I was shocked,” said Wanda Bolin, a 30-year resident of 115th Avenue, as she warmed up her car Sunday morning. Bolin said she had seen the police canvassing the street last week, but did not know what had happened until she turned on the evening news Saturday.
A makeshift memorial had been set up Saturday night for the infant. Small flowers were stuck into the dirt surrounding the sewer, a fat red candle burning with its wax partly eaten away. Two pieces of wood, one on each side of the sewer, were dug into the ground, and Christmas lights were strung from them.
Reach reporter Chris Fuchs by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 156.
