Officials charge mom of newborn found abandoned and covered with ants in Texas
SPRING, Texas (WPVI) -- The Harris County Sheriff's Office in Texas announced the mother of a newborn baby found abandoned and covered with ants in a grassy area of an apartment complex will be charged.
KTRK-TV reports, Sidney Woytasczyk will be charged with felony child abandonment.
Officials say Woytasczyk claims she didn't know she was pregnant.
Last week, there was bombshell testimony heard in a Houston courtroom, where a man claiming to be the father of the baby said he had no idea the mother was pregnant.
Officials said Deandre Skillern claims to be the father, but there is no indication he had a part in the child's abandonment.
Skillern has taken a DNA test. The results are not in. He wants custody and so does the baby's maternal grandmother.
CPS has temporary custody of the child but could determine in the next weeks who the baby girl will live with.
"The caseworker goes out, goes to the home, makes sure there's adequate space, makes sure it's a comfortable loving home, make sure it's safe," said Tiffani Butler, with Child Protective Services.
According to authorities, Woytasczyk had the baby in her kitchen and placed it outside because she was worried the child would come between her and her boyfriend.
A neighbor discovered the baby and took video. It shows the newborn, delivered about six hours before, lying naked and alone on the ground.
Deputies said the baby was left abandoned on a sidewalk in Spring, right outside the apartment.
In court, graphic evidence was presented as investigators said the umbilical cord was ripped, causing the baby to have a bacterial infection.
The baby was left outside, alone in the dirt for six hours before she was discovered.
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