By Jennifer P. Rendon
A 21-year-old woman was criminally charged after she allegedly killed her newborn child in Roxas City, Capiz.
A case for infanticide was filed against Amy (not her real name) before the Roxas City Prosecutors Office on September 20.
Master Sergeant Ronie Recto, Roxas City police investigator, said that autopsy examination showed that the baby boy did not die from natural causes.
Instead, post-mortem results showed that the infant succumbed to asphyxiation due to strangulation.
Amy, a resident of Capiz’s first district, worked as a caregiver for a couple in Barangay Baybay, Roxas City.
She began working for the couple in May 2021 and was assigned to take care of her employer’s mother.
The following month, her employers allegedly noticed signs of possible pregnancy in Amy but the latter was mum about it.
She denied being pregnant or having a boyfriend.
Months later, her employers decided that she should undergo pregnancy test.
Around 10 a.m. of September 17, she was taken to a private hospital for a medical examination.
“The test showed that she was pregnant,” Recto said.
She was immediately taken to a private clinic for sonogram but to their surprise, no fetus was found in her body.
After questioning, she admitted that she gave birth at around 8 am of the same day.
She kept the “dead baby” inside the cabinet of her room in her employers’ house. She placed the infant in an eco-bag and tucked it inside the closet.
The infant underwent post-mortem examination September 18.
“The baby appeared to be healthy during delivery. The infant weighed around 3.5 kilos,” Recto said.
Despite the scientific evidence, Amy denied killing the boy. She also maintained her silence on the father of the infant.
Her mother was also shocked upon learning of the incident.
“They didn’t know. Had she known about it, she claimed they would have taken and raised the baby,” Recto said.
Amy is now on hospital arrest after she underwent dilation and curettage procedure.
While she has no record of mental disturbance, police authorities might recommend her to undergo psychiatric evaluation.
