Authorities in Texas arrested a woman after she allegedly gave birth inside a 24-hour fast food restaurant’s restroom and left the baby girl’s corpse in the toilet.
Court records show that Mallori Patrice Strait, charged with abuse of a corpse, is currently in San Antonio’s Bexar County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by San Antonio CBS affiliate KENS, employees at a Whataburger on the corner of FM 78 and Walzem Road reported a woman entering the building around midnight Thursday.
She reportedly locked herself in the bathroom around 2 a.m. and remained there for several hours. The manager reported hearing various noises from the woman.
Employees gave her water and offered assistance. However, she reportedly refused to leave. They eventually called 911 to have authorities check the woman’s condition.
Deputies from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office arrived and detained the woman. Firefighters also responded to the restaurant and allegedly discovered “human-like material in the restroom.”
The affidavit stated that a baby girl was still in the amniotic sac inside the toilet. First responders rushed the girl and Strait to the hospital. Doctors declared the girl dead.
According to reports, Strait was 28 to 30 weeks pregnant. The affidavit stated that the baby girl appeared to have head injuries, suggesting that someone had forced her down the toilet.
As first responders took Strait to the hospital, she reportedly said, “I’m sorry, I’m not selfish.”
Authorities may increase charges if they believe she harmed the baby, and an autopsy will determine the cause of death.
Texas, like most states, has a Safe Haven Law, also known as the Baby Moses Law, which allows parents who are unable to care for their babies to drop them off at a fire station or hospital within 60 days, with no questions asked.