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Pennsylvania mother 'ripped out' infant from her womb, killed him, and hid body in paint can

30-year-old Ashley Nicole Caraballo was arraigned on charges of homicide, concealing the death of a child, and abuse of a corpse.
PUBLISHED JUN 20, 2019

A Pennsylvania woman who was accused of intentionally killing her newborn son and then hiding his body in a paint can, has been charged.

According to Penn Live, 30-year-old Ashley Nicole Caraballo of Allentown was arraigned on Wednesday, June 19, on charges of homicide, concealing the death of a child, and abuse of a corpse. On October 20, 2017, Caraballo's partner, Paul Wilson Sr., noticed she was bleeding as she was getting their five children ready for school at their home in the 5400 block of Mauser Street in North Whitehall. 

Wilson drove her to St. Luke's Hospital in Allentown for treatment and was told by doctors that the 30-year-old had heavy vaginal bleeding and needed surgery.

During the surgery, Dr. Jami Avellini removed a large portion of placental tissue and what appeared to be an attached umbilical cord.

Avellini found that Caraballo's cervix was torn and that the damage she suffered was consistent with a baby being "ripped out" when the cervix was not fully dilated, said Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin.

She determined that the 30-year-old had given birth anywhere between a few hours and three days before the surgery and notified authorities, asking them to search for a fetus of about 30-34-weeks-old.

Caraballo is said to have repeatedly denied being pregnant or giving birth, and when asked about the placental tissue, allegedly tried to claim it was from the birth of her child more than a year ago. That was deemed physically impossible as medical records confirmed that she had delivered a full placenta at the time.

The Pennsylvania State Police subsequently started an investigation, but a search of her home and property by troopers on October 21 brought no results. In interviews, both Caraballo and Wilson said pregnancy tests she had taken in June and August that year turned up negative.

But four days later, on October 25, police found the infant's body wrapped in a sheet in a pink backpack that was hidden in a five-gallon paint can in the basement storage area in their home. The child, who weighed 7.9 pounds, was pronounced dead at 9 am that day.

An autopsy determined that the infant was full term and was born alive and that he died from a combination of asphyxia, blood loss and/or hypothermia. The manner of death was ruled a homicide.

Speaking about the case at a press conference, Martin said Wilson had not been charged as evidence did not indicate that he was involved in the child's death. He also said that investigators believed he wasn't even aware that Caraballo was pregnant.

Caraballo is currently being held without bail in Lehigh County Jail. 

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