Saskatoon Police have laid charges against a woman who allegedly disposed of the body of her baby by putting it in a garbage bin in 2010.
The 19-year-old woman, who was 17-years-old at the time of the offense, has been charged with neglect to obtain assistance in child birth, and concealing the body of a child.
Police started investigating the matter in October 2010 after receiving information about the baby’s birth and disposal. After locating the 17-year-old, police determined that she had given birth to a baby girl in her home over the Thanksgiving weekend. The baby died, and was put in a garbage can whose contents were picked up by city crews and taken to the landfill.
The Saskatoon Forensic Unit, along with other police teams and officers from Calgary combed through 2,100 metric tons of garbage on a grid the size of a football field to find the disposed-of body. After a week of searching in hazardous conditions, the team didn’t locate any evidence in connection with the suspicious death.
However, based on a recent investigation and consultations with the crown prosecutor’s office, police were able to lay charges. The 19-year-old is scheduled to appear in provincial court on May 1.
