Another story to brighten your day....

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5857794.html

By CINDY HORSWELL
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Baytown police have arrested and charged a 14-year-old girl whose newborn son died from being submerged in a school toilet and having toilet paper stuffed down his throat, authorities said today.

Police Capt. Roger Clifford would not discuss details of the charge until a news conference scheduled for 3 p.m. today.

The teen, whose name was not released because she is a juvenile, has been under investigation since the incident occurred April 2 in a restroom at Cedar Bayou Junior School.

According to an autopsy by the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office, the baby also suffered blunt trauma to his head and neck.

The eighth-grader's attorney, Gerald Yoakum, has said that she did not see the baby fall into the water because she was seated on the toilet and using toilet paper to stop herself from bleeding.

In a written statement released today, Yoakum said: "Please remember that this is a 14-yaer-old child who has experienced a tragic event."

He said he will work with the Harrris County District Attorney's Office and the juvenile court system to resolve the issues and make sure "only the facts, not opinons and speculations, will control this case."

He contends that the teen only saw "blood and goo" because the placenta and umbilical cord also went into the toilet.

The girl saw her son for the first time, Yoakum said, when she and her family held a funeral for him in June. She still is mourning his death, he said.

The baby, whom she named "Johnny," weighed 7 pounds and was 16 inches long, the attorney said.

Shortly after arriving at school that day, Yoakum said, the teenager — who he said was not aware that she was pregnant — went to the nurse's office.

Her baggy clothing had concealed her protruding abdomen and none of the school authorities or her own parents were aware of the pregnancy, police said.

The nurse, thinking the girl was suffering from menstrual cramps, had her lie down with a heating pad for 2 1/2 hours before sending her back to class, Yoakum said.

Instead, the girl went to the restroom, where another teenager head her moaning, saw a lot of blood and went to the office for help.

The baby was pronounced dead there and the girl was taken to a hospital.

Investigators have said the baby cried at least once before his mother attempted to flush him down the toilet.

The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide rather than an accidental death.

 

And isn't this the second or third similar incident this year in the Houston area?