A woman has been charged with murder after her teenage daughter's newborn baby was found dead at a hospital in Washington State.
Dayjanay Thomas, 31, of Tacoma, is accused of travelling to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital with her 14-year-old daughter, who gave birth to a boy at their home on February 10. Court documents state the baby was alive at birth but died from eight sharp-force injuries, along with several blunt-force injuries to his head. The manner of death was ruled a murder.
Charges and arrest
Thomas has been charged with murder and criminal mistreatment and is being held at Pierce County Jail. The teenager reportedly gave birth at 5am and told her mother she had not realised she was pregnant, with Thomas also claiming she did not know her daughter was pregnant.
Instead of calling emergency services, Thomas allegedly told her daughter they would wait for a friend to drive them to the hospital, according to the Tacoma News Tribune. The landlady later drove them to the hospital at 6.45pm, unaware of the birth, but noticed Thomas carrying a cardboard box, which allegedly contained the body.
Investigation and messages
Medical staff alerted police, who searched Thomas's home and found blood in several areas, including the bathroom, on clothes, and on a serrated knife and scissors. Detectives also found text messages exchanged between Thomas and her daughter on the day of the birth, including one from Thomas saying: "Okay you have to let them know that [the landlord] and I didn't know and just let them know you didn't know what was going on with your body."
Thomas was arrested on February 23 and initially charged with criminal mistreatment for allegedly failing to seek medical care for her daughter. The murder charge was added later. Neither the teenager nor the landlady has been charged in connection with the baby's death.
