A 45-year-old Tennessee man was charged in connection with the death of his newborn daughter whom he allegedly tossed in a dumpster late in January.
Officers were called to the Flairwood Apartments in Memphis at around 9 a.m. on January 27 by a 16-year-old girl.
The teen told cops that James Boothe had dropped her off after she delivered their baby daughter in the car about two hours earlier.
Boothe allegedly took the infant from her mother and placed her in a plastic bag before throwing her in a dumpster behind a Shell gas station.
The teen admitted that she had been in a “relationship” with Boothe for about three years.
The baby was found dead in the dumpster. Surveillance footage showed a man matching his description tossing a black plastic bag in the dumpster.
A Shelby County judge dismissed the suspect’s charge of abuse of a corpse due to “lack of prosecution.” Authorities said the baby was never alive.
“Our office has indicted Mr. Boothe on five additional charges based on evidence from this case and continues to review the abuse of a corpse allegation for potential indictment along with the additional charges,” the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said.
“Keep in mind that when charges are dismissed in general sessions it does not preclude us from still pursuing an indictment and moving forward as more evidence becomes available.”
