A 22-year-old woman is facing a single charge of improper disposal of a body after prosecutors say she left the body of her infant son at Fort Taber Park in New Bedford.
Daniela Michell Escobar-Mejia, of New Bedford, was released on personal recognizance and ordered to abide by Department of Children and Families orders while the case is pending, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III’s office said in a statement.
On Dec. 9, 2023, at around 12:40 p.m., a 911 caller reported finding a dead infant at Fort Taber Park. When officers arrived, a woman told them she was walking along a path near the water with her niece when she noticed a blanket near bushes next to the walking path, according to the statement. The woman also “detected an order of decay,” Quinn’s office said.
The woman walked over to the blanket and found a white plastic bag inside of it. The body of the decomposing infant was found inside the bag, according to Quinn’s office. When the woman found the body, she called out to two men walking their dog in the park, one of whom called 911.
Investigators identified Escobar-Mejia as a suspect through DNA analysis and a review of surveillance footage from in and around the park, Quinn’s office said. DNA testing confirmed she was the infant’s mother. The medical examiner could not determine whether or not the baby was dead before it was dumped in the park due to the state of decomposition it was found in. No cause or manner of death for the infant was determined.
Prosecutors say Escobar-Mejia left the baby’s body in the park on Nov. 6, meaning it was there for roughly a month before it was found.
Escobar-Mejia will return to court for a pretrial conference on Sept. 12.
“I want to thank investigators for their efforts in this very sad and tragic case,” Quinn said in the statement.
