A forensic anthropologist was unable to determine whether a baby whose remains were unearthed at a home on 12th Avenue Northeast was alive when the 16-year-old mother gave birth, according to Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock.
As a result, the Sheriff’s Office isn’t referring criminal charges against either the mother or the 16-year-old father.
The mother disclosed the pregnancy to a school nurse Oct. 16 at River Ridge High School while being seen for an unspecified medical issue. The nurse notified authorities, and sheriff’s deputies recovered the baby’s remains in the home’s front yard later that day.
The mother said the baby was stillborn, and that she and the child’s father buried the child near the father’s home, Lt. Greg Elwin has said.
The forensic anthropologist found no evidence that the infant had suffered trauma, Warnock said. The anthropologist also could not determine the baby’s gender, but the mother told investigators it was a girl, Warnock said.
Jeremy Pawloski: 360-754-5445
jpawloski@theolympian.com
theolympian.com/thisjustin
@JeremyPawloski
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