A University of Arizona sophomore was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder and child abuse, Wednesday, after she gave birth to an infant in a communal university shower hall and then placed the child in a plastic bag, the Arizona Daily Wildcat reported.
Sarah Tatum, 19, who allegedly hid her pregnancy from the other students in her dorm, telling them that she had been gaining weight due to a thyroid problem, was discovered by two of her hallmates in the shower hall, Monday, with a bag of what they thought were bloody clothes, according to the Daily Wildcat.
When the pair looked more closely at the bag, however, they realized that it was moving and that Tatum had placed her child inside.
"The plastic bag was the kind with the draw string on top," said Jaime Perez, a family studies and human development freshman, who lives in Arizona-Sonora and is a close friend of one of the hallmates who found Tatum. "She tied the bag so tight that the policeman had to cut it with a knife."
Tatum, who is from Scottsdale, was trasported from the dorm to a hospital before she was arraigned Wednesday, the Daily Wildcat reported. She was later released from jail into the custody of Pretrial Services under strict condition to surrender her passport, agree not to leave Pima County, have no contact with the child and to seek a mental medical examination.
The baby is still alive and is being cared for at a local hospital.
Click here to read more on this story from the Arizona Daily Wildcat.
This story was filed by UWIRE, which offers reporting from more than 800 colleges and universities worldwide. Read more at www.UWire.com
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