SMITHFIELD, N.C. – The remains of an infant were found Saturday in three separate bags under a Smithfield residence, court documents show.
Just before 5 p.m., Smithfield police officers responded to a home in the 100 block of Hartley Drive in reference to human remains being found.
A detective reported the remains appeared to be that of an infant and said a foot could be seen among the remains.
A warrant shows the detective found the remains wrapped in towels in three separate trash bags.
A resident of the home initially found the bags when he was running a cable under the residence. He described the bags as being “squishy.“
He removed the bags from the crawl space and continued to run the cable. It was only after he finished that he checked the bags and saw the contents. Police were called immediately, court documents show.
The woman who leases the home where the remains were found told investigators that her daughter has lived with her off and on for months at a time. That daughter has battled drug addiction for her entire life and has two children.
The woman who leases the home has custody of both of those children.
The woman told police her daughter has been obviously pregnant in the past but try to conceal it by wearing baggy clothing, court documents show. The woman told police she believes her daughter has been pregnant as many as 10 times.
The woman described two instances, one 12 to 15 years ago and a second in 2005, when her daughter was pregnant. The first instance, the daughter claims she delivered the baby at the hospital and left it there.
In 2005, the mother said her daughter locked herself in a bathroom for hours with water running. There was also a blood trail leading from the bathroom to the daughter’s room.
The mother said she did not know what happened to that child.
The medical examiner confirmed the remains found under the home to be that of an infant.
Police seized some of the daughter’s belongings that were still in the home on Hartley Drive.
No charges have been filed.
