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Editor's note:This article contains content that some readers may find disturbing.SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California prosecutors said Wednesday that a fast-food restaurant cashier gave birth to a baby girl while at work and then tried to kill her by flushing her down a toilet.
The San Mateo County district attorney said Sarah Lockner, 25, has been charged with attempted murder after the newborn survived.
Prosecutors say Lockner went to work the night of Sept. 4 at a Redwood City McDonald's complaining of stomach pains and visited the bathroom numerous times, raising concerns of co-workers.
A co-worker discovered a large amount of blood on the bathroom floor and peered over the stall to check on Lockner.
The co-worker told investigators she saw a baby face down in the toilet bowl and Lockner pushing on her back while flushing the toilet.
The co-worker called 911 and when paramedics and police arrived the baby was in Lockner's arms, but the newborn wasn't breathing and didn't have a pulse.
Police arrested Lockner and paramedics revived the baby, who district attorney Steve Wagstaffe said is in stable condition, but it's unknown whether the baby suffered brain damage.
Wagstaffe said Lockner told investigators that she didn't know she was pregnant.
Lockner remain in jail on $11 million bail and will be appointed a public defender on Sept. 18.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have Safe Haven laws. The law's intent is to give a place for people to take their unwanted babies that may otherwise be abandoned. In California, parents can drop off their babies at select locations within 72 hours of the baby's birth, no questions asked.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that the baby is a girl.
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