UPDATE: An arrest report for the young woman accused of killing her newborn child has been released.
According to the report, it was the woman's mother who called for help because her daughter was bleeding. Upon arrival at the hospital, it was discovered that Veronica Salazar had given birth. Salazar ultimately admitted she had just given birth to a baby in a bathtub in her home and left the child there.
Police went to Salazar's home and found the newborn baby girl lying inside of a tub surrounded by large amounts of blood. Paramedics determined the baby was deceased.
Salazar's mother told police she did not know her daughter had just given birth although she had her suspicions about Veronica being pregnant.
Salazar told police during an interview that the pregnancy was unplanned and she hid it from her family. She said she began bleeding a couple of days before giving birth in the bathroom.
Salazar said that after the child was born, she heard the child cry and she cut the umbilical chord. She wrapped the child in a towel and put the baby down in the bloody water that had gathered in the bathtub,
She then told her mother that she needed help, but said nothing about the baby. Salazar told police she knew the baby was submerged in water when she got out of the tub. She also admitted that she knew that when she cut the umbilical chord with a razor that her baby would bleed out and be gone by the time she told anyone about her.
Salaza was scheduled to appear in a Las Vegas courtroom on Friday morning. However, she is still in a local hospital. The next hearing is scheduled for July 11.
ORIGINAL STORY
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) -- A mother was arrested Wednesday in the death of her newborn child.
Around 12:30 a.m., Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers were dispatched to an apartment located in the 2800 block of South Maryland Parkway, near Karen Avenue, for a report of a possible newborn that was recently birthed and left inside of the apartment. Upon arrival, officers were able to locate the newborn child who was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Sheriff Joe Lombardo said an individual left a baby in a bathtub and the child died.
"So it's been determined to be a homicide," he said. "So we are working through that as we speak."
The investigation initiated by the LVMPD Abuse and Neglect Section indicated the mother of the newborn, later identified as 20-year-old Veronica Salazar, had given birth to the child while inside the apartment. Salazar concealed the birth and requested medical treatment. Salazar was transported to Sunrise Hospital by medical personnel, where it was discovered that she had recently given birth.
As a result of the investigation, Salazar was placed under arrest for murder and was booked in absentia into the Clark County Detention Center.
This is the 92nd homicide investigated by the LVMPD in 2016. The identity of the victim, as well as the cause and manner of death, will be released by the Clark County Coroner’s Office
