Texas woman charged with abandoning baby in flowerbed says she didn't want to be mother

Sidney Woytasczyk left her newborn in a flowerbed because, she says, she didn't want it. Photo / Supplied

WARNING: Disturbing content

By Hannah Parry and James Wilkinson

A mother accused of dumping her baby girl in a bush told prosecutors she didn't want to be a mother and doesn't want to see her child.

Sidney Woytasczyk, 21, is charged with child abandonment after abandoning her newborn in a flowerbed near her Houston apartment, the Daily Mail reported.

Prosecutors say she gave birth to the child in her kitchen, cut the cord and left it exposed to the elements in a flowerbed to stop her oblivious boyfriend from being scared away, according to ABC 13.

Woytasczyk, 21, is charged with child abandonment. Photo / Supplied

She was arrested arrested a passerby spotted the baby, covered in ants and called the cops.

During the 21-year-old's second court appearance, at Harris County, on Wednesday (US time) she told investigators she did not want to be a mother and did not want to see her baby.

The infant is currently in the ICU and being treated for a bacterial infection after Woytasczyk ripped the placenta in two. The little girl could be at risk of developing meningitis.

Woytasczyk later told police she had panicked after giving birth because she didn't know she was pregnant.

Prosecutors claimed that Woytasczyk felt the baby girl turn in her womb before it dropped out onto the kitchen floor.

They said she admitted to cutting the child's umbilical cord, then abandoning it naked to the elements.

"She described the delivery," the prosecutor told the judge, according to Click2Houston.

"The officer asked if she had a boy or a girl and she stated, 'A girl'.

"The defendant stated she went outside without wrapping it. She did cut the cord."

But the cord was not clamped and tied, putting the child at risk of bleeding to death and leading to her developing a bacterial infection, authorities allege.

The baby was also suffering a rapid heart rate, and is now said to be in good condition at the neonatal ICU at Texas Children's Hospital.

They said Woytasczyk then went home, cleaned up and went to sleep.

She has now been charged with a felony charge of abandoning a child and causing serious bodily injury and, if found guilty, could receive up to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors also said she had expressed concerns about how having a child might affect her relationship with boyfriend Deandre Skillern.

Skillern, who told a court last week that he didn't know Woytasczyk was pregnant, has not been charged in connection with the case.

He has now taken a DNA test to prove he is the father, and is contesting Woytasczyki's mother for custody of the child.

The couple, who have been together for at least a year, said they didn't realize Woytasczyk was pregnant. Photo / Supplied

Custody will be decided by a judge; in the meantime, the infant is with Child Protection Services.
Prosecutors asked for bail to be set at US$40,000; Woytasczyki's lawyer asked for it to be considerably lower, saying that she is a student who works retail and lives with her mom.

Bail was finally set at US$20,000, with the judge citing concern over Woytasczyki's mental health as a factor.

"There are some pretty serious allegations contained within that warrant," she added.
dumped her newborn outside an apartment complex in Houston, Texas, according to police investigators.

The infant was discovered in the bushes outside an apartment building on Thursday morning by a resident who heard her crying as he walked by.

In a press conference, Assistant Chief Armando Tello of Harris County Sheriff's Office said: "This is a case that has really touched the hearts of everyone here at the Sheriff's Office."

Lead Investigator Kimberly Thomas said: "[Sidney Woytasczyk] was scared and she did not know she was pregnant. The father has not been charged and we do not expect more charges.

"It's more than likely the baby would have died if no-one had found her in time."

Local police tracked down the 21-year-old mother by following a trail of blood that led them to her apartment's door. Photo / Supplied

Meanwhile, Sargent Matt Ferguson pleaded with mothers to be aware of the Baby Moses Law.

He said: "If you have a child or are an expectant mother and your child is 60 days old or younger you have the opportunity to take that child to a fire station, a hospital or an emergency facility."

However, it is unlikely that Woytasczyk would be protected by this law since her baby was abandoned in a bush and left to the elements.

According to police, the mother dumped the baby around 11.30pm on Wednesday night, nearly six hours before the child was discovered, reported Click2Houston.

Albert Peterson found the baby crying at around 5am the next day. She was lying in the soil of a flower bed, covered in ants and other debris. Her umbilical cord was still attached.

Peterson lifted the baby off the ground, cleaned and swaddled her and called police.
Cops then followed a trail of blood to the Cypress Creek Apartments home shared by Skillern and Woytasczyk.

Skillern spoke in court on Friday and said he had no ide that his daughter was pregnant. Woytasczyk's mom Tina, said the same.

Graphic evidence was also presented to the court that day that showed that the umbilical cord was ripped, not cut out, which likely caused the baby girl's bacterial infection.