What does one do when they have a one night stand with a guy and then nine months later gives birth to a baby girl that you definitely do not want? Well normally I would think one would just sign the baby over for adoption.
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Unfortunately 21 year old Cara Craig of Metairie, Louisiana found herself in this position but she didn’t give the baby up for adoption. Instead she took the baby which by the way still had the umbilical cord attached to it, and tossed her into Lake Pontchartrain so she could hide her pregnancy from her parents. Craig has been charged with first degree murder even though the results of an autopsy report has not come in yet, according to Kenner Police Chief Steve Caraway.
“The girl admitted that it was her child,†said Caraway, “that she gave birth to the child; that the child was moving when she gave birth, the legs were moving, she felt a heartbeat. As she prepared to throw the child into the water or place the child in the water as she said, she had her hand on the baby’s chest and could feel the heart beating at that time. That’s why she’s been charged with first degree.â€
Apparently Craig had been receiving some counseling about the pregnancy. “She had spoken with health care officials at some point before, during her pregnancy to see what options she had,†Caraway said. “She actually considered abortion, but she was too far along, I believe is what she said. And when that wasn’t an option she tries to conceal the pregnancy from her family.â€
Apparently Louisiana has what they call the Safe Haven Law which allows mothers to give their babies up anonymously from the time of birth up to 31 days at certain locations like health care facilities or police stations without prosecution. I guess Craig wasn’t aware of this law. It is a shame she didn’t because if she had the life of this precious child could have been saved.
“Here you are with someone who didn’t want a child,†he said. “She didn’t want the responsibility and you have people out there that would love to have kids that can’t. I think people need to be reminded that there is a safe haven law, and that there are other options besides discarding, in this case killing a child.â€
“She came here to the police department on her own free will,†said Kenner Police spokesman Brian McGregor adding that her parents were with her when she came in. McGregor said the woman confessed to throwing the baby into the lake to hide the pregnancy from her parents. The parents claim they suspected she was pregnant but she denied it to them.
“She’s coherent. She understands what she has done, and she realizes she’s going to face the consequences for what she did and she told us that,†said McGregor. She’s remorseful for what she did, she feels there’s other avenues that she should have taken for this.â€
The police had received a tip from someone saying they had seen a woman pull into the parking lot of the apartment complex and throw something into the garbage can. Police went to the complex and looked into the garbage can and that is where they found the mother’s placenta according to McGregor.
Witnesses say they saw a woman casually walking up to the water and tossing something in and then turning around and walking away casually and getting back into her car and driving away. Then the witnesses went to the area where they saw her and they found the baby lying face down in the water.
This is such a sad situation. Once again this baby wasn’t given the chance to live its life. This baby girl’s life was ripped away from her by being tossed away into the Lake by her own mother. Now I live within an hours drive from where this happened. I was raised on this Lake. Sometimes those waters are pretty rough. When I think about this helpless newborn tiny infant thrown into the water I can only imagine what the waves were doing to her little body and I can tell you what I see in my mind is not pleasant.
I will never understand how any mother can take the life of their own child. I mean taking anyone’s life is horrible but taking one that you gave birth to is beyond me. I hope one day she comes to realize that what she did was wrong and she cheated this baby girl out of a life of her own. That baby did not ask to be conceived but since she was she did deserve the chance of a life. So, so sad.Â
Jan Barrett
10 users commented in " Mom Throws Unwanted Newborn Into Lake Pontchartrain "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackIt is sad…its disgusting….and revolting to think that “woman” thought that was her only choice…makes me sick to my stomach!
do parents talk with thier children???? do they tell them things might happen in life but ill be here for you??? no matter what it may be, no matter if your scared or if you think i might be mad???/ and i might be mad but ill still be there, and still love you and we can deal with this together?? i hope with all my heart that ive explained to my children and grandchildren that no matter what it is, no matter how bad it seems they can come to me and i will have compasion, and understanding, and its normal to be mad but that doesnt mean i wont still love and care about you…and i can also forgive what you may think is the biggest misteak in your life, because I LOVE YOU, i am your MOM.. i gave you birth and i plan to be with you thru all the times good and especially bad, thats what moms do…
I agree anna. I have done that with my two sons. My oldest dealt with problems that he knew he could come to me about. I was the first one he came to because he knew I would be there for him. He made me so proud by taking a stand and facing his responsibility and all that time he knew Mom would be there for him always.
Now my 18 year old is finding out what becoming an adult is but he has me here for him too and I will always be here for my kids. I have unconditional love for them both and they know it.
I just don’t understand the younger ones these days that refuse to take on their own responsibilities.
Pickles I agree. It is just so sad 🙁
Jan Barrett
it is very disgusting just as fast as life began it was taken grrrrrrrrrr she had so many other choices.
Another tragedy that could have been avoided. I just don’t understand why when that baby would have been Gods blessing to another family.
Omg this makes me sick 🙁
Jan, when I saw your headline, I felt compelled to read further, and like everyone else who has posted here, I feel sick.
When I was able to work, I was working with this sort of thing and I still can not understand why youth and/or adults choose to kill their children.
They always seem to have lots of excuses for why, but none of them ever make any sense. There were always lots of other options available to them but for a myriad of reasons, they chose to kill their young.
Some of the things that I did notice with all my cases was that the family had limited or no parenting skills, dysfunctional coping skills, limited access to services, limited education, and limited family or significant other support.
I find it so refreshing to hear about, and see families that are healthy. There are many of them out there, but it is just hard to notice them. The dysfunctional ones are the ones who make the headlines. Too bad the media do not do weekly features on healthy families.
hey thats sad because i heard my mom was almost going to kill me but she said”wait am i doing the right thing”then a voice popped in her head and said”no my dear stop doing it its your little girl love her play with her take care of her and show her whats right and wrong”then my mom stopped
What a sad story? Most of us mothers can’t understand this, because we love our babies before they are born and worry over them.
I wonder if this girl has any natural feelings for anyone? I have a feeling she doesn’t and never will have.
GRRRR…”Apparently Craig had been receiving some counseling about the pregnancy” she must have been told that she can bring the child to a hospital and leave it there anonymously. SO what makes this girl who is of age at 21 do something this horrific????
It is not insanity…I am just not buying that.
The animal had no blood in her vains…she is sub human. and blongs in the generalpopulation of the jail. 🙁
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