Teen Accused Of Abandoning Newborn Indicted In Abilene

ABILENE, Texas (AP) – Authorities say a Breckenridge woman has been indicted two months after a crying newborn was found in her bedroom when she was out of town.

Nineteen-year-old Lauren Renee McDonald was indicted Wednesday on a charge of abandonment/endangerment of a child, a state jail felony with a maximum penalty of two years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

McDonald gave birth in the bathroom of her Breckenridge mobile home in June. Police have said that two days later, she went to visit a relative in another state, a trip that had been planned for a while.

Police have said that that day her younger sister heard faint cries coming from the bedroom and found a newborn completely wrapped in two towels in a corner between a mattress and bathroom door.

McDonald later told the Abilene Reporter-News that she did not know she had been pregnant because she had not gained much weight, and said she did not remember giving birth. Police have said that the baby girl was apparently three months’ premature.

Child Protective Services has custody of the baby.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)