Police: Teen Gave Birth, Tried To Flush Baby

BAYTOWN, Texas -- A 14-year-old gave birth to a baby in a junior high school bathroom and tried to flush the newborn down the toilet, killing the infant, police told Houston television station KPRC.

Grief counselors helped students and staff on Thursday deal with the incident.

Baytown police said the eighth-grade student delivered the near full-term baby at Cedar Bayou Junior High School on Wednesday morning while she was alone.

The baby was born alive, investigators said.

"We understand that the baby was alive when it was born and that the girl attempted to flush the child down the toilet. The child died as a result of these actions," said Lt. Eric Freed of the Baytown Police Department.

Another student who walked into the restroom heard the baby crying and ran to get the nurse and assistant principal. But by the time they arrived, officials said, it was too late.

The case is being treated as a homicide, detectives said. Police have not said if the baby was a boy or a girl.

"According to everyone I talked to, no one knew that she was pregnant," said Kathy Clausen of the Goose Creek Independent School District.

The unidentified girl was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was listed in stable condition.

The baby's father is not yet known.

A letter was sent home to parents about the incident.

"The staff handled it beautifully. I can't tell you they weren't upset because they were. Everyone was upset. It's a very upsetting situation. It's a sad situation," Clausen said.

As news of the tragedy spread throughout the community, parents rushed to the school to pick up their children.

Albert Contreas braced himself for a difficult discussion with his son.

"One life being flushed down the commode. It's God's creation. You don't mess around with God's creation," he said.

Parents said their children asked many questions when they got home.

"She just said, 'How could she do that, mom?'" parents Donna Abundis said. "She's just like, 'Why did that have to happen?' She was very concerned about it, too."

Classmates said the girl is a good student and they had no idea she was about to give birth.

"No one knew she was pregnant," said Veronica Roy, the mother of a student who knows the girl. "I imagine she knew she was pregnant but just didn't tell anyone."

Roy said her son heard screaming coming from the bathroom.

"They just couldn't believe it because nobody knew she was pregnant. He said she wasn't showing or anything. It was a surprise."

Even though the case is being investigated as a homicide, detectives said they are looking into the possibility that the baby's death could have been an accident.

Baytown, Texas, is located about 25 miles east of downtown Houston.

This is the second Houston-area 14-year-old to secretly deliver a baby this week.

A fetus was found in a trash bin aboard a Continental Airlines jet on Sunday. Investigators determined the fetus was stillborn and the Harris County District Attorney's Office declined to press charges against the mother.