The bodies of newborn twins were found lifeless in a trash can on Saturday in Eastside, Cleveland, just days after their birth.
Cleveland Homicide Police Unit’s Sergeant Jennifer Ciaccia confirmed that a 16-year-old girl, believed to be the mother of the twins, was found and taken to the hospital for medical assistance on May 20.
The girl’s mother reported the horrifying discovery after the infants were found in the trash. Her daughter had admitted to giving birth to the twins and then leaving them in the garbage can. The teen’s mother was stunned by the revelation, having had no knowledge of her daughter’s pregnancy.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Bedford police were able to locate the young mother at the University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center. She was later moved to the UH’s main campus, where she is being investigated by Cleveland’s law enforcement.
Law enforcement has planned to forward the case to the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office, as revealed in the official statement from Ciaccia.
The somber discovery took place in the Buckeye Shaker Square neighborhood of Cleveland. An anonymous neighbor told a local news outlet that a landscaper unexpectedly came upon the distressing sight as he was discarding grass trimmings.
It’s believed that the teen mother gave birth to the twins on Thursday. Local residents remembered hearing cries of babies late into the night but did not suspect anything unusual, thinking it was just typical infant hunger. According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, parents who feel unprepared to care for a newborn have a legal and safe option to surrender their child within 30 days of birth at “safe haven” locations across the state, including hospitals, fire stations, and police stations, without facing any repercussions.
