A 19-year-old woman was arrested in Mississippi Friday, months after she allegedly left her deceased newborn in a trash can on the University of Tampa campus.
Brianna Moore was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, child neglect with great bodily harm, failure to report death, and unlawful storage of human remains.
On April 27, Moore’s roommates called the university campus security after hearing a baby crying and finding blood in their shared McKay Hall bathroom.
Moore denied giving birth and claimed the blood was from her period. The following day, Moore’s roommates discovered a bloody towel in her trashcan and called 911.
Tampa Police officers responded to the campus and found a deceased newborn wrapped in a towel.
The suspect admitted during questioning that she delivered a baby in the bathroom and held her tightly to her body until she stopped crying and died.
She also admitted to tossing the baby in the trashcan. An autopsy revealed that the baby died from asphyxia due to compression and had multiple fractured ribs and lung hemorrhaging.
“It breaks my heart to know that this baby girl could still be alive today if this woman had alerted authorities that she needed help,” Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez said.
“Instead, she took actions that directly led to the death of her newborn baby. This is a difficult and nuanced case to prosecute, and our community must continue to educate women about the many resources available to them in situations like this one.”
