WHITEWATER — Whitewater Police have arrested a 39-year-old woman believed to be the mother of the newborn found dead in a field on March 4.
The suspect, arrested on Friday, is being held in the Jefferson County Jail. The case remains under investigation, with charges forwarded to the Jefferson County district attorney’s office.
Charges the woman is being held on include concealing the death of a child and resisting or obstructing officer. Additional charges, or modifications to the above charges, may follow based on the continuing investigation, a release said.
Whitewater police in the release thanked the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation for its help in the case.
According to a previous press release, police found the body of the newborn baby boy in a field near the Twin Oaks Mobile Home near North Tratt Street. He was in a plastic bag in a cardboard box, wrapped in a light colored shirt with no other clothing on. It’s believed that the newborn was placed in the field 48 hours before he was found.
This remains an open investigation and police say no additional information will be released at this time.
Whitewater police also said in a release they want to make sure the public is aware of the Safe Haven for Newborns law that guarantees the right of parents to relinquish custody of newborns 3 days old or younger, without consequences, to law enforcement officers, emergency medical services practitioners, or hospital staff members.
Anyone with information about this incident may call the Whitewater Police Department phone number: 262-473-0555 or email the detective bureau directly at jbrock@whitewater-wi.gov and aheilberger@whitewater-wi.gov. Tips can also be shared at .
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