April 19--ST. CROIX -- Officials from the V.I. Police Department and the V.I. Human Services Department say they continue to investigate an incident in which a woman stopped by police officers earlier this month was carrying her newborn baby zipped up in her purse.
No determination has been made at this point whether the woman will face any criminal charges, according to Police spokeswoman Melody Rames. Police are working closely with officials in the Human Services Department to forward the final results of their investigation when they become available, Rames said.
The week-old baby appeared to have been in good health at the time of the initial evaluation, according to Human Services spokeswoman Monife Stout.
Once a case comes into the department, it is handled by the intake emergency unit, which has the primary responsibility of assessing the welfare of the mother and child, Stout said. A case then moves through several other channels to determine if the child had been put at risk, she said.
Human Services staff members determine what services are needed and available and what the final disposition of the case would be, Stout said.
As of Wednesday, that had not been done as both departments continue their investigations.
Officers made a routine traffic stop about 9:15 a.m. April 3 on La Grande Princesse Road near the basketball court and stopped the woman's white Ford Ranger because of a cracked windshield, according to Rames.
While requesting the woman's drivers' license and registration, the officer heard a baby cry. Not seeing a baby in the car, the officer asked the driver where the baby was, and the woman unzipped a black handbag that was on the front passenger seat next to her and revealed a newborn baby girl, Rames said.
The woman told police that she had given birth to the baby a week before at home by herself and did not have any prenatal care. The woman also told the police that the child had yet to see a doctor, according to police.
- Contact reporter Fiona Stokes at 719-9149 or email [email protected].
Copyright 2012 - The Virgin Islands Daily News, St. Thomas
