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

After investigators claim she killed the newborn, a 17-year-old Georgia mother who was previously charged with trying to bury the child in her garden is now facing more charges.

Leticia A. Rodriguez was arrested late last month and charged with one count of felony murder and one count of aggravated assault with a firearm.

Rodriguez was charged with one felony count each of concealing a death, disposing or abandoning a dead corpse, and abusing a dead body prior to the death of her infant son.

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 with a weapon by the Marietta Police Department, which has filed warrant 24-W-11103.

Since there is no threat to the community and this is an active, ongoing inquiry, we do not expect any more updates. The Cobb County District Attorney’s Office has been tasked with conducting the investigation.

Rodriguez said detectives she sliced the baby’s throat with a sharp knife while cutting the umbilical cord, according to the Georgia Gazette.

In a probable cause document obtained by the newspaper, the teenager acknowledged to the police that she had cut out the deceased infant’s heart with a pocketknife.

As previously reported by Law&Crime, on Sunday, Nov. 24, at around 3:20 p.m., the Marietta Police Department arrived at a property on Gramling Street in reference to a deceased infant and a person excavating in their backyard. During a news briefing, Marietta Police Public Information Officer Chuck McPhilamy gave specifics regarding the suspected incident.

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 gave some information about what cops witnessed at the incident, McPhilamy claimed that the contents in the probable cause affidavit were more graphic than what the police would publicly disclose.

“What I can tell you is that when officers got to the scene, they did find a body that was clearly identifiable as a newborn infant,” he said, adding that the infant looked like a full-sized or completely formed child and that it was died.

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 around six hours by packing him into a grocery bag and covering him with blankets.

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

Additionally, according to the complaint, Rodriguez acknowledged using a pocket knife to dismember her newborn.

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

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

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