A woman from Louisiana, who is without permanent housing, faces charges of second-degree murder after reportedly giving birth in a porta-potty at a Waffle House in Gretna and leaving the newborn in the waste-filled tank.
Authorities were called to the Waffle House located on Westbank Expressway around 3:17 a.m. on Thursday, March 26.
WDSU has secured 911 audio related to the incident.
Upon arrival, officers spoke with Lekesha Lemelle, who had dried blood on her pants. She allegedly confessed to giving birth but was unsure how much time had passed since the delivery. She was also unable to comment on the baby’s condition, according to an arrest warrant obtained by Us Weekly.
Emergency responders were led to the porta-potty, where they discovered the deceased baby boy at the bottom of the tank.
Medical examiners reported that the full-term newborn was alive and probably healthy at birth.
Lemelle, aged 37, is currently hospitalized and receiving medical care.
Jason DiMarco, Deputy Police Chief of Gretna, told WDSU that such incidents are startling. “This isn’t anything you can prepare for — this isn’t something you expect to see, a newborn,” DiMarco stated. “It’s horrifying.”
DiMarco further noted that Lemelle had the option to surrender the child safely.
“In this state, you can take a child, from infancy to 60 days no questions asked, take them to a police station, firehouse, medical facility, as long as you give them to a person, there are no questions asked, you won’t be prosecuted,” he explained.
Rongelia Steadman, a staff member at Waffle House, mentioned they provided Lemelle with meals after noticing she was sleeping on the streets nearby.
“You could have brought the baby to the fire station, police station, anywhere instead of having the baby in the porta-potty and leaving it,” Steadman, a grandmother, remarked. “You could have given that child to anybody, you could have came up here by us where you asked us for food and help.”
In a similar case last month, a woman in New Mexico gave birth in a portable toilet, where she allegedly placed her newborn daughter into the tank, resulting in the baby’s drowning, according to the police.
Sonia Cristal Jimenez has been charged with one count of intentional child abuse resulting in death, classified as a first-degree felony, as per a news release by the Las Cruces Police Department posted on Facebook on February 11.
The investigation suggested Jimenez likely cut the umbilical cord after giving birth and then placed the baby inside the toilet, police reported.
