Woman caught trying to flush her newborn baby down toilet; Charged with child endangerment
A woman who tried to flush her baby down the toilet after giving birth in a hospital bathroom is facing criminal charges for endangering the child's life.
On the evening of May 8, the woman, 22-year-old Ashley Hautzenrader, reportedly went inside a bathroom at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and gave birth.
She then attempted to flush the baby down the toilet. However, when doing that failed, she placed the baby in a pillowcase and threw it in the trash.
Police said Hautzenrader claimed she was not aware of her pregnancy until after she delivered the baby. She also claimed she did not know that the baby was alive when she tried to flush it down the toilet.
"The defendant thought the baby was dead, due to it not crying and attempted to flush the baby down the toilet," Officer Eli Hotchkin said.
Apparently, Hautzenrader did all these things on her own.
Hospital staff found the baby in the trash, who was alive when it was discovered. Police searched for and found Hautzenrader, who later confessed to the crime. She told police she believed the baby had died so she put it in the trash can.
Authorities did not disclose if the child's mother was a patient at the hospital. The baby's age at the time of its delivery is also not yet known.
Jail administrator Bill Deatsch said Hautzenrader was arrested on May 8, and was released the following day. She was reportedly in a good condition at the time of her arrest and required no medical attention.
She faces a charge for child endangerment. If found guilty, she could be imprisoned for up to two years.
She is under pretrial supervision in which she needs to check in regularly with the Iowa Department of Corrections and abide by certain rules.
