MADERA COUNTY – A teenager sits behind bars tonight facing murder charges after deputies find her newborn wrapped in a plastic bag, stuffed in a cabinet below the bathroom sink inside a home on Chapin Street near Avenue 16 in Madera.

According to reports, the 17-year old girl (whose name is not being released) showed up at an area hospital last Friday, where doctors discovered she was suffering from postpartum bleeding. When asked where her baby was, the young woman denied ever giving birth.

Due to a language barrier, (she speaks Mixteco Bajo, one of several dialects spoken in Oaxaca, Mexico), it took doctors, staff and Deputies hours to finally learn where she lived.

A resident of that home granted deputies access to search it. When they found the baby, they returned to the hospital and confronted the young mother. She finally admitted that she gave birth that morning, but insisted her baby was dead when she delivered it.

Autopsy results show the baby was alive when she was born, and then murdered. The cause of death is not being released at this time. According to current laws, she could be charged as adult for the murder of her new born.

The 17-year old girl, who comes from a village in Oaxaca, Mexico, reportedly arrived in Madera just three days prior to giving birth. She is currently being held in Madera County Juvenile Hall for murder. Her bail set at 1-million dollars.

The investigation is ongoing.

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