Allegations have been made against a 35-year-old Kentucky woman who attempted to surreptitiously give birth inside an IHOP restroom and then tried to flush the baby down the toilet before running away.
As to the arrest citation, Shaniqua D. Caldwell was arrested on Wednesday night and booked on one count of hiding the birth of a child.
A little after 8 p.m. on May 29, according to the document, Bowling Green Police Department officers and emergency medical services personnel responded to an IHOP restaurant located in the 3200 block of Scottsville Road.
After receiving 911 calls indicating that a woman was spotted bleeding in the bathroom and may have recently experienced a miscarriage, police and emergency medical personnel were sent to the scene.
The caller allegedly saw a baby in the toilet and told the emergency dispatcher that the woman, who they thought had recently given birth, had also “attempted to flush the baby down the toilet,” according to authorities.
First responders spoke with other witnesses at the site, and they confirmed that the woman looked like she tried to flush the newborn down the toilet. Officers were given a description of the woman by those witnesses, who claimed she left the restaurant on foot right after the incident.
The infant was discovered by the authorities inside the bathroom, already dead. It was unclear right away if the baby was delivered alive. Authorities stated that the child’s autopsy is still pending.
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Caldwell ignored EMS personnel’s attempts to treat her when they found her in the parking lot of a neighboring Red Roof Inn. She also made a lot of absurd claims, such as claiming to be related to both Denzel Washington and Michael Jordan and to not have had sex in at least six years.
“Based off my interactions with Caldwell, I was concerned with her mental state,” police stated in the affidavit. “I also was concerned for her welfare when she refused any medical treatment after likely just giving birth to a child.”
After being placed under arrest, Caldwell was driven by ambulance to Bowling Green Hospital in order to receive an urgent mental health assessment.
Caldwell was unable or reluctant to divulge any personally identifiable information during ensuing interviews with police; she merely stated that she was from New York and was in town on business.
Caldwell was processed, transported, and booked into the Warren County Detention Center after being discharged from the hospital, according to documents. She is presently being held there on a $2,500 bond.
She is currently being prosecuted for concealing, which is a Class A misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $500 and a maximum sentence of 12 months in jail.
Authorities have stated that more charges against Caldwell might be forthcoming and that the inquiry into the newborn’s mode of death is still ongoing.
