Police Say They Caught Ga. Teen Digging a Hole in Backyard to Bury Newborn

A Georgia teenager was arrested after authorities allege she was found digging a hole in her backyard to bury her newborn baby.

Officers responded to a home in Marietta, Ga., just after 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24, on a report of a newborn’s death, the Marietta Police Department said in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Tuesday, Nov. 26. 

Police said they found the newborn dead inside the home. Authorities arrested the baby’s mother, 17-year-old Leticia Rodriguez, and brought her to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital for treatment, per the statement.

In a warrant obtained by Fox 5 Atlanta, authorities said Rodriguez tried to bury her baby about six hours after giving birth. She allegedly hid the infant’s body in a blanket and grocery bag before a family member found her digging a hole in the backyard, per the warrant.

“We did see the mother of the deceased infant digging a hole in the backyard in an attempt to create that situation,” Marietta police officer Chuck McPhilamy said, per Atlanta News First. “The infant was never actually buried.”

Once Rodriguez is discharged from the hospital, police intend to take her to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center in Marietta, where she will be held without bond. The teen is facing felony charges of concealing a death, abuse of a dead body and abandonment of a dead body, per the statement.

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Police said the investigation remains ongoing and additional charges are expected to be filed after the medical examiner’s office determines the baby’s cause of death.

A local resident told Atlanta News First that she was shocked after learning of the tragic incident.

“I’ve been here 30 years and nothing like that [has] happened in this neighborhood as far as I know,” Theresa Neill said, per the outlet. “It’s just sad that something like that has shown up and you know my heart goes out to anyone who [has] lost children.”