A woman accused of suffocating her newborn baby in a plastic bag at work is facing charges of child abuse and murder. A judge made the ruling today after hearing testimony in a Detroit suburb, the Detroit News reports. Kimberly Pappas, 26, allegedly gave birth in her office bathroom on March 31, put the baby in one bag, placenta in another, and placed them in her desk. Her sister, Cassandra Pappas—who worked in the same office—says Kimberly texted her asking for a set of fresh clothes and looked really sick. "She said she had an accident," says Cassandra. Kimberly said she "had a heavy period," says a first responder, but she later said she'd miscarried and put the baby in her desk, Hometown Life reports.
A medical examiner says the baby lived for several minutes before dying of asphyxiation—but admits CPR efforts may have created a false positive by putting air in the newborn's lungs. Other evidence still indicates homicide, the examiner testified. Kimberly's attorneys argued that she was in shock at the time and may have been confused if the baby was born "flaccid," or not moving. But apparently she'd always denied being pregnant: "She just said she was gaining weight," says Cassandra. Kimberly now faces arraignment on Aug. 31, People reports: "Then we can ... see if there might be some sort of a resolution short of trial," says one of her lawyers. "But I don't know where it's going at this point in time." (More infanticide stories.)
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