Mom faces attempted murder charge after her newborn baby was found in a Boca dumpster
Palm Beach County detectives arrested a mother and charged her with attempted felony murder and abuse of a child without great bodily harm after her newborn baby was found in a bag in a dumpster on Wednesday.
“Who would leave a baby in a dumpster?” someone who lives near a West Boca Raton apartment complex asked of a WPLG Local 10 reporter Wednesday.
Two people had heard cries as they approached a dumpster at the Boca Entrada Apartment complex. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said a newborn baby girl was left there.
Thursday night, they learned who left the baby.
Palm Beach detectives arrested Rafaelle Alessandra Carbalho Sousa. The 35-year-old woman is being held at the Main Detention Center in West Palm Beach without bail and was expected to go before a judge at 9 a.m. Friday.
Detectives say Sousa admitted to delivering her baby, putting her in a bag and throwing her into the dumpster, according to Miami Herald news partner CBS4.
The girl is expected to be OK.
Had Sousa anonymously dropped her baby off at a hospital or a fire station there would be no charges or crime, unless there was actual or suspected child abuse, according to Florida law.
This story was originally published May 10, 2019 at 8:37 AM.
