Authorities announced that the mother of a baby discovered alive in a plastic bag in Georgia nearly four years ago has been apprehended and charged with attempted murder.
On June 6, 2019, a deputy was dispatched to the woodlands near the 1900 block of Daves Creek Road in Cumming after a neighbor reported hearing a baby's cries. A local family reported to 'Good Morning America' at the time that they discovered the infant in a plastic bag.
Birth Mother of 'Baby India' Found, Arrested
Deputy Terry Roper discovered a plastic bag in the underbrush containing a baby girl with her umbilical cord still attached, as depicted in graphic body camera footage that was subsequently disseminated to generate leads in the case. The infant was transported to a local hospital, weighing 6 pounds and 5 ounces. ABC News reported that she was given the name "Baby India" by the nurses who tended to her.
In the weeks following the discovery, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office released extraordinary body camera footage of first responders recovering the infant from the scene as they attempted to identify her. Since then, the Forsyth County Major Crimes Unit has been "working assiduously" on the 'Baby India' case. Thursday morning, deputies made an arrest, according to a press release from the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators have spent "thousands of hours" on the case, and a breakthrough occurred roughly ten months ago when they could identify the child's father through "sophisticated DNA investigative practice."
According to the sheriff, there are currently no indications that the child's father was aware of the pregnancy or abandonment. Additional DNA evidence confirmed that Karima Jiwani, 40, of southeast Forsyth County, is the child's biological mother.
Jiwani is charged with attempted murder, maltreatment of minors in the first degree, aggravated assault, and reckless abandonment, according to Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman. According to officials, she is scheduled to make her first court appearance remotely from the Forsyth County Detention, where she is being held without parole, on Saturday.
In his 33 years as a law enforcement officer, Freeman has never desired to make an arrest more than he did in this case. According to the sheriff, county investigators, assisted by the FBI, used DNA again within the past week to corroborate that the woman was "Baby India's" birth mother.
Jiwani, who has other children spanning from school age to near-adulthood, allegedly knew she was pregnant with "Baby India" in the summer of 2019 and had a history of hidden pregnancies and "surprise" deliveries, according to Freeman.
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What Happened to 'Baby India?'
Per NY Post, the 40-year-old mother allegedly delivered the baby in a vehicle and drove for a long distance without making any effort to leave the infant in a safe location. In reference to Jiwani's alleged act, Freeman stated that it is both incomprehensible and exasperating that a parent could do something so cruel.
Deputy Roper, who responded to the call in 2019, was among the officers who arrested Jiwani, according to Freeman. The sheriff's restraints were used to apprehend the woman. Freeman refused to disclose what happened to "Baby India" in the intervening years, stating that the girl is "happy, healthy, and in a secure place" as she approaches her fourth birthday.
Jiwani was instructed to be detained without bond in the county jail. She is scheduled to appear in court for the first time on Saturday morning.
In the days following the incident, Channel 2 Action News aired footage from a body camera depicting the moment deputies ripped open the bag to discover the infant still attached to her umbilical cord. The video shows officers urgently wrapping the infant in a garment as it cries.
Per Yahoo, Freeman again commended the Ragatz family and the Forsyth County community on Friday for their support for Baby India.
Sheriff emphasized that Georgia has a "safe haven law" that allows a mother to leave her infant at a hospital or fire station if the child is less than 30 days old. Under the Secure Haven for Newborns Act, the mother is not required to present identification, and no fees will be assessed.
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