Woman accused of corpse abuse after newborn found in dumpster

DECATUR, Ala. — An Alabama woman is accused of placing her deceased newborn girl into a dumpster at a convenience store, authorities said.

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Cindy Nicole Crow, 36, of Decatur, was arrested Wednesday and charged with charged with abuse of a corpse, according to Morgan County Sheriff’s Office online booking records.

On Monday, officers with the Decatur Police Department were contacted to perform a welfare check on Crow, who had allegedly given birth recently, WHNT-TV reported.

“As the investigation progressed, evidence was obtained that confirmed Crow had been pregnant as early as February 2023 and had recently given birth,” Decatur police said in a news release. “However, her newborn baby was unaccounted for.”

After failing to find the child, officers received information to check the dumpster at the Wally World Mini Mart in Decatur, according to WAAY-TV.

Investigators who searched the dumpster found the remains of a newborn baby girl in a trash bag underneath several large bags of trash, Decatur police spokesperson Irene Cardenas-Martinez told AL.com.

The body was transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science for an autopsy, according to the news outlet.

A felony warrant was obtained on Wednesday to arrest Crow, who was located at her home in Decatur, police said.

She was booked into the Morgan County Jail, online records show. Bail was set at $200,000.

Crow could be facing more charges, police said.