Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A 19-year-old woman who gave birth to a baby in a toilet at her Sandy home, then, believing he was dead, put him in a garbage bag, has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and 50 hours of community service.
Stephanie Marie DeLuca pleaded guilty last month to third-degree felony child abuse, and was sentenced Friday by 3rd District Judge Royal Hansen, who also ordered her to attend parenting classes and obtain a mental health evaluation.
DeLuca's child, Tyson DeLuca, is thriving despite spending an estimated 53 minutes inside the plastic bag.
DeLuca said that she was unaware she was pregnant and after the March 2 home delivery, she thought the child was dead.
When emergency medical personnel arrived to stop her bleeding, she told them she had a ruptured kidney cyst, but a firefighter found the infant inside the plastic bag in the bathroom.
Defense attorney Robert Archuleta said that the loss of three pints of blood "affected her ability to appreciate the health implications of the unexpected birth."
He said DeLuca and her boyfriend planned to marry, and that they have been working with state social services workers to reunite with their child.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
