In Texas, authorities detained a woman for reportedly delivering a baby in the restroom of a 24-hour fast food restaurant and abandoning the infant girl in the toilet.
Legal documents reveal that Mallori Patrice Strait is charged with mistreating a corpse and is currently held in San Antonio’s Bexar County Jail on a $100,000 bond. According to an arrest report from San Antonio’s CBS affiliate KENS, employees at a Whataburger located at the intersection of FM 78 and Walzem Road informed law enforcement that a woman entered the establishment around midnight on Thursday. Allegedly, she locked herself in the bathroom at about 2 a.m. and remained there for several hours. The manager reported hearing various sounds coming from the bathroom.
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Employees gave her water and offered her help. However, she reportedly would not leave. Eventually, they called 911 to have authorities check on the woman’s well-being. Deputies with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office arrived and detained the woman. Firefighters also responded to the restaurant and reportedly found “human like material in the restroom.”
There was a baby girl still in the amniotic sac inside the toilet, according to the affidavit. First responders rushed the girl and Strait to the hospital. Doctors pronounced the girl dead. They reportedly determined Strait was about 28 to 30 weeks along in her pregnancy. The baby girl appeared to suffer injuries on her head, suggesting she had been forced down the toilet, the affidavit reportedly said. As first responders transported Strait to the hospital she reportedly said “I’m sorry, I’m not selfish.”
An autopsy will determine the cause of death and charges could be upgraded if authorities determine she harmed the baby.
Like most states, Texas has a Safe Haven Law, also known as the Baby Moses Law, that allows parents unable to care for their babies to drop them off at a fire station or hospital within 60 days, no questions asked.