Kenbridge reacts to dead baby's discovery
Posted by Terry Alexander - email
KENBRIDGE, VA (WWBT) - A 17 year old woman is in custody Friday night, charged with leaving her baby's body in a plastic bag behind a home in Kenbridge.
Kenbridge is a town of only a few square miles, where almost everyone knows each other. They are reacting to the news of the discovery of the body and wondering if the situation would have been different had the mother just reached out for help.
"A baby in a farmer's food bag and I, I just couldn't understand," said Brenda Edlow who lives across the street from where the baby was found.
She has seven children of her own and is coming to grips with the thought of a dead baby lying just a few feet from her home.
This situation is so unique for this small country town that it is not a surprise that people have come for all over to catch a glimpse of the spot, where the baby was found.
"There hasn't been any great number of calls in that area, it has been a quiet neighborhood from the day I have been here," said Kenbridge Police Department Chief Jan Myers.
And it could be that because this incident was so out of the ordinary that the reaction of the community has been more sympathy than outrage.
"She is probably devastated," said Edlow. "She probably panicked and you know, got scared and probably done that, but we all behind her. 100%."
And Chief Jan Meyers is hoping that other young women in a similar situation can learn from this mother's mistake.
"Go to a hospital, go to your doctor's office, go to your neighbor, because people care and they will help you out," said Meyers.
At this point the baby's mother whose identity remains protected because of her age, has only been charged with a misdemeanor. That could change if the results of an autopsy reveal that she had something to do with the baby's death.
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