TAMPA, Fla. — A former University of Tampa student has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect with great bodily harm after a newborn's body was found in a trashcan in April.
Brianna Moore, 19, was arrested in Mississippi and faces extradition back to Hillsborough County to face the charges.
The case started on April 27, when police said they received a call from campus security about a 19-year-old girl, alleged to be Moore, possibly experiencing a miscarriage after students heard a baby crying in the dorm room.
"She lived in a quad, four girls living in the bedrooms with a shared common area and a shared bathroom. They heard the baby crying and they called police later that day when they discovered blood on their bathroom floor of their shared bathroom," said Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez.
Prosecutors said an ambulance was dispatched to check on Moore, but she denied being pregnant and told an officer the blood in the bathroom was from her period.
Police said they received another call the next day after campus security found the baby in a bag.
"University of Tampa campus security came and discovered what appeared to be a full term newborn baby girl, wrapped in a towel and put in a trash can," said Lopez.
State Attorney Suzy Lopez said an autopsy revealed the newborn had "multiple fractured ribs along her spine and hemorrhaging in her lungs." The medical examiner said the cause of death was "asphyxia due to compression of the torso with the manner of death being homicide."
Lopez said the baby's death "was avoidable" and that "this baby girl could still be alive today if this woman had alerted authorities that she needed help."
"There is a fire station across the street from the University of Tampa. Tampa General Hospital is a mere 2-3 minutes away by car. This baby girl's death was completely avoidable," said Lopez.
Moore faces four charges, including:
- Aggravated manslaughter of a child
- Child neglect with great bodily harm
- Unlawful storage, preservation, or transportation of human remains
- Failure to report death to medical examiner or law enforcement
Florida has a Safe Haven Law, which "allows parents to anonymously surrender an unharmed newborn infant seven days old or younger to any Fire Station, EMS station, or hospital staffed by full-time emergency medical technicians, paramedics, or firefighters. There will be no questions asked, and no charges will be filed for surrendering a newborn under the Safe Haven Law unless the infant has signs of abuse or neglect."
If you're an expectant mother and need support, you can contact the following resources:
- The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay: Dial 211
- Florida Department of Health, Maternal & Child Health Section: 850-245-4047
- The National Safe Haven Alliance Hotline: 888-510-2229
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