In a tragic and alarming case, a teenager from Louisiana faces murder charges following the discovery of her newborn daughter’s body at her residence. The grim details emerged when medical staff at Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center contacted authorities after the 14-year-old sought medical help post-childbirth.

The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies, upon arriving at the girl’s home, found the infant deceased inside a tote bag, bearing severe neck injuries. Initially, the young mother faced charges of failing to seek assistance and obstruction of justice. However, these charges escalated to first-degree murder following an autopsy that confirmed the baby’s death as a homicide.

According to Sheriff Jason Ard, investigators have determined that the teenager had managed to keep her pregnancy hidden from her family. They believe the newborn was alive at birth and met a violent end shortly thereafter, casting a shadow over the community and prompting a deeper investigation into the circumstances surrounding this heartbreaking case.

The teen was initially charged with failure to seek assistance and obstruction of justice, but after an autopsy determined the manner of death to be homicide, she was charged with first degree murder.

Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said that investigators believe the girl concealed her pregnancy from her family and that the baby girl was born alive and killed shortly after birth.

“As you can imagine, this has been a difficult case for all First Responders involved,” Ard said. “Please keep them — and, the family — in your thoughts as this very sensitive investigation continues. Due to the nature of this case, no further details can be released at this time.”

The girl has been booked into the Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center, according to WAFB.