Snohomish County prosecutors said Thursday they wouldn’t be able to prove that a 17-year-old girl was attempting to kill her newborn son when she put the child in a plastic garbage bag and left him near a drainage pond July 15 in Marysville.
The girl, who previously was charged in adult court with attempted murder, now will be prosecuted for less serious charges in Snohomish County Juvenile Court, deputy prosecutor John Stansell said.
She will be charged with second-degree assault and second-degree child abandonment, Stansell said. He said it’s likely she will appear in court next week.
When a 17-year-old is charged with a serious crime such as attempted murder, the case automatically is heard in adult court, under state law. Juvenile Court handles less serious charges.
Before proceeding with the attempted murder charge, prosecutors wanted to determine whether the girl actually was trying to kill her baby or there was some other motive.
Earlier this week, Stansell was told the case was moving to Juvenile Court.
The teen’s family posted $50,000 bail, and she was released two days after the baby was found.
Neighbors in the 7900 block of 61st Place NE heard the baby’s cries shortly after 11 p.m. One climbed over a chain-link fence surrounding the pond and recovered the newborn.
The baby boy was found in a dry area between the pond and the fence. The umbilical cord was still attached, neighbors said. Authorities said he was about an hour old.
The baby had a mild case of hypothermia, and was later turned over to Child Protective Services.
The girl lives in Mexico, and had been visiting the United States on a visa, authorities said. She has been staying with her sister and brother-in-law in Marysville for about three months, police said.
Police arrested the girl after a doctor determined that she had recently given birth, Stansell said.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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