Florida woman arrested for allegedly leaving newborn covered in blood and paper towels in hospital trash can

A woman was arrested in Florida's Fort Lauderdale on 5 October after she was accused of abandoning her newborn baby in a trash can in a hospital restroom, where she delivered the child.

The accused, Rubi Ramirez, 25, complained of abdominal pain and was taken to a hospital, where she delivered and tried to abandon the child, a recent police report stated. She initially denied the charges and her pregnancy, but later admitted to the crime.

Ramirez's attorney, Jeffrey Bloom, filed a not guilty plea on her behalf in a court on Friday (13 October) and said the case could have a mental health angle.

Ramirez faces charges of abuse of a child without great bodily harm and desertion of a child. She was granted a $5,000 (£3763.4) bond and ordered to not have contact with her baby.

The Florida Department of Children and Families is investigating the case and the child has been placed in foster care after being treated in the hospital.

"We believe that there are some mental health issues involved in this case. We are going to investigate further and as the facts develop, we believe it will be shown that Ms Ramirez is the victim in this case," Bloom said on Friday.

Meanwhile, the police report on the case stated that doctors and nurses at the hospital were alerted by Ramirez's mother who had accompanied her to the hospital. She spotted her bleeding in a hospital restroom and called the nurses.

Dr Judson Newman Krosney, who was assigned to attend to Ramirez, found the baby alive in a restroom trash can at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, the Sun Sentinel News reported, citing the police report.

During initial police questioning, Ramirez reportedly claimed that she was not aware of her pregnancy and that the newborn baby "fell" into the garbage can. She also claimed that she called for help and alerted hospital staff about the child.

However, she later admitted that she knew she was pregnant before she arrived at the hospital. She said she saw her baby girl open her eyes after delivery, yet she put her in the trash can covering her in paper towels.