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Newborn wrapped in plastic bag dies at hospital, parents now face criminal charges

Posted at 1:36 PM, Apr 10, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-10 16:39:51-04

Two young parents are facing criminal charges after their newborn died. Authorities say the baby was found in a plastic bag, which was inside a vehicle parked at the hospital.

According to the Wood County Sheriff's Department, deputies were called to the Marshfield Medical Center around 10 a.m. Saturday morning for reports of a possible missing newborn. Deputies eventually found the newborn in the rear of a vehicle, wrapped in a blanket and placed inside a tied-up plastic bag.

The Sheriff's Department says the baby was rushed to the hospital and was temporarily revived, but later succumbed to his injuries and was eventually pronounced dead.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the hospital knew about the missing baby. Authorities say the vehicle where the baby was found belonged to the infant's father.

The Sheriff's Department said deputies eventually learned that the mother had given birth to the child earlier that same morning at a home in the Village of Milladore. According to the Sheriff's Department, the child was not immediately taken to a hospital for treatment.

Authorities arrested both the mother and father on charges of child neglect. The Sheriff's Department is also recommending a homicide charge for the mother.

The Sheriff's Department says the mother is 22 years old; the father is 19 years old.