Crime & Safety

Baby Allegedly Abandoned in Ellisville Was Born in a Basement

New details emerge in the case of Wildwood resident Kaitlin T. Norton, who is accused of leaving her newborn baby in a yard in Ellisville.

New information in the case of Wildwood resident , 19, who is accused of leaving her newborn son in a yard in Ellisville last month, was revealed in a recent article published by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The article centered on a push last month by state lawmakers to expand the application of Missouri's "safe haven" law, which allows mothers to give up custody of a baby who is up to five days old if the baby is dropped off at a safe haven such as a fire house or hospital. One proposal considered by Jefferson City legislators sought to expand that window to 45 days, which is cited as a national average for comparable laws elsewhere.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch article by reporter Nancy Cambria also said the newborn boy was in fact , the same day law enforcement representatives say the child was abandoned. An attorney for Norton said the pregnancy was hidden and that Norton gave birth to the child in her boyfriend's basement.

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Sources close to the case told the St. Louis newspaper that the baby is in the custody of the Department of Social Services and is expected to be adopted.

If she is convicted in the abandonedment case, Norton faces at least five years in prison before qualifying for parole and faces a maximum sentence of 15 years, the report said.

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To read the complete St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, click here.


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