Mom accused of killing newborn, getting caught attempting to bury body in backyard.

Authorities claim that a 17-year-old Georgia woman killed her newborn child, leading to further accusations against her after she was first accused of trying to conceal the child in her garden.

Authorities said Leticia A. Rodriguez, who was arrested late last month, was charged with one count of aggravated assault with a weapon and one count of criminal murder.

When Rodriguez’s young boy died, she was first charged with one felony count each of concealing a death, abandoning or discarding a dead body, and abusing a dead body.

Associated coverage:The Marietta Police Department said in a news release on Friday that fresh charges had been brought as a result of evidence acquired during the continuing multi-agency investigation. Leticia Rodriguez has been charged with Felony Murder and Aggravated Assault Weapon under Warrant 24-W-11103. Since there is no threat to the community and this is an ongoing, active investigation, we do not expect any more updates. The Cobb County District Attorney’s Office has been tasked with conducting the investigation.

Rodriguez told investigators that she sliced the baby’s throat with a sharp knife while cutting the umbilical chord, according to the Georgia Gazette. A probable cause document obtained by the newspaper states that the teenager admitted to using a pocketknife to cut out the deceased infant’s heart.

On Sunday, Nov. 24, at 3:20 p.m., the Marietta Police Department arrived at a home on Gramling Street in response to a murdered infant and a person excavating in their backyard, as first reported by Law&Crime. During a news briefing, Marietta Police Public Information Officer Chuck McPhilamy provided information regarding the alleged crime.

The mother of the deceased infant was found digging a hole in the backyard to try to create that scenario when first responders arrived at the scene; the infant was never buried.

Although he shared some details about what police observed at the scene, McPhilamy claimed that the details disclosed in the probable cause affidavit were more graphic than what the police would publicly disclose.

What I can tell you is that when the police got there, they discovered a body that was unmistakably that of a newborn baby, that the baby was dead, and that the baby was definitely hurt, he added, adding that the child looked like a full-sized or completely formed child.

Police said Rodriguez had given birth at home earlier in the day and that neither an adult nor even a peer was willing to assist her. According to McPhilamy, Rodriguez’s poor health and the stress of childbirth necessitated prompt medical intervention.

According to Atlanta Fox affiliate WAGA, Rodriguez reportedly gave birth in her bed earlier that day. According to the police, she concealed the boy’s body for almost six hours by shoving him into a grocery bag and covering him with blankets.

Then, Rodriguez’s uncle allegedly discovered her excavating a hole in the backyard close to a tree with the intention of burying the child. Then the uncle called 911.

According to the papers, Rodriguez also admitted to using a pocket knife to dismember her infant.

To determine the cause of death, an autopsy will be conducted by the Cobb County Medical Examiner. That story suggests that Rodriguez might be charged with additional offenses.

Rodriguez is still being held without bond at the Cobb County Jail.

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