A 22-year-old Kentucky woman was apprehended by authorities over the weekend following the discovery of her deceased newborn in the trunk of her car. Daira T. Mejia Aguilar was arrested on Saturday and faces charges of abuse of a corpse in relation to the infant’s death, according to court documents.
The Louisville Metro Police Department responded to a call at an apartment on Zorn Avenue around 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 6. The call was regarding a concealed deceased infant within the residence, as reported by local news outlets. The caller informed the dispatcher that the infant had been placed in a bag and hidden in a closet.
Upon arrival, first responders reported finding a bag in a closet that was swarming with flies and seemed to have blood stains. The police also interacted with Mejia Aguilar at the residence. When questioned about the baby, she reportedly confessed to giving birth to a newborn on Tuesday, July 2.
Following her arrest and after being read her Miranda rights, Mejia Aguilar allegedly admitted to not reporting the child’s death and keeping the remains in her home. According to the arrest citation, she claimed to have wrapped the baby in a blanket, placed it in a trash bag, and then hid the bag in the apartment’s closet. She also allegedly admitted to moving the baby to the trunk of her car before the police arrived.
On Sunday morning, investigators reportedly found the remains of a deceased newborn in the trunk of a car that Mejia Aguilar confirmed was hers. The baby, wrapped in a blanket and placed in a trash bag, was described by investigators as a full-term newborn in the early stages of decomposition.
The gender of the infant was not disclosed by the authorities. Mejia Aguilar appeared in Jefferson County Court of Justice for her arraignment on Monday, where she pleaded not guilty. She was subsequently ordered to home incarceration by a judge.
Authorities are currently awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine the cause of death and whether the baby was stillborn, died during labor, or after birth. Mejia Aguilar is set to appear in court again on July 16.