KEARNS, Utah — A newborn baby girl was in critical condition Wednesday after Utah police say her mother dumped her in a neighbor's trash can.
The 2-day-old girl was on a ventilator in a hospital, Unified Police Detective Jared Richardson said.
The girl's mother, 23-year-old Alicia Marie Englert, was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of attempted murder.
Englert told authorities that she hid the pregnancy from her parents and hoped the newborn girl would die in the trash and solve her problems, according to a probable cause statement.
The mother told police the baby had been in the trash for about an hour before she was found. The baby had not received any medical care or food, police said.
A neighbor discovered the baby Tuesday morning when she mistook her cries for a kitten meowing in the trash bin, police said.
On Tuesday, Utah officials held a news conference to remind residents that the state allows mothers to drop off newborns at hospitals without consequences.