Unborn Baby Cut From Mothers Womb Found, Woman Who Had Child Arrested
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 30, 2009
Worcester, MA (LifeNews.com) — The unborn baby girl who was cut from her mother’s womb after someone killed her mom and stole her, has been found. Authorities have also arrested a woman suspected of killing 23-year-old Darlene Haynes, who was in the eighth month of her pregnancy, and stealing her baby.
Haynes’ body was found on Monday when her landlord responded to complaints from neighbors. He found her body wrapped in a blanket and shoved in a closet of her apartment.
Worcester Police Sgt. Kerry Hazelhurst told reporters that the baby girl appeared to be in "fairly good health" and is at a New Hampshire hospital.
Officials also say they have arrested Julie Corey, 35, of Worcester, Massachusetts, and a male companion and that the arrest was made in Plymouth, New Hampshire where police found them with he child.
According to an AP report, the man was released while Corey was charged as a fugitive from justice and is set to be arraigned in district court in Concord today.
Corey apparently told friends that she had a baby late last week at an unnamed hospital and, by Friday she was showing off the baby as her own.
"Some friends became a little concerned about how she got home so early after just giving birth," Hazelhurst said.
Police said Corey had told acquaintances that she was relocating to New Hampshire and she arrived at a homeless shelter on Tuesday night. She told workers at the shelter that she was the baby’s mom, although she was unable to produce any information on the identity of the child.
Corey was arrested late Wednesday when workers took pictures of the baby with their cell phone and notified authorities.
Karl Whitney, Haynes’ uncle, told the Boston Globe he was relieved the baby had been found.
"It’s just a miracle that everything worked out as well as it did," he said. "Right now, it’s the best ending to a very sad and tragic situation."
"I’m very amazed and happy that the Worcester Police Department were able to react so quickly," Whitney said.
Roberto C. Rodriguez, the ex-boyfriend of the slain woman and the father of the unborn child, told news agencies on Wednesday that he is devastated by the news and hopes authorities apprehend the assailant quickly and that the baby is found safely.
“Turn yourself in or keep running,” he said. “The Lord is going to catch up to you. Drop the kid off. Drop the kid off at a hospital.”
WCVB reported yesterday that Haynes had three other children, but only her 18-month-old daughter lived with her. Reports indicate that Haynes dropped off the child to Rodriguez on Thursday and she had not been seen since.
“I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t think,” Rodriguez said. "She was a nice girl. She had her problems, you know? But nobody deserves to go through what she went through."
He indicated Haynes spent time with people who were not good for her and that someone from her group of friends may be responsible.
“She (Darlene) hung out with the wrong crowd simply cause she wanted to fit in," he said.
At the same time, the Telegram newspaper indicates court records show Haynes has a restraining order against Rodriguez, who is set to be married this week to another woman and was slated to do so today or tomorrow.
Haynes landlord, William Thompson, said she has mental health problems and stored trash, including soiled diapers in a storage shed and inside and outside the house that she rented from him.
He decided to look into Haynes’ apartment on Monday after complaints and that’s when he discovered her body.
“No way had I thought she was murdered in the bedroom,” Thompson told the Telegram. “There was no blood. It was weird – the blanket was wrapped much too tight.”
Haynes’ body was found in the closet inside her home in Worcester and her body had decayed to such an extent that investigators had problems identifying even her gender. When they did, they determined Haynes was pregnant and had been murdered and had her uterus cut open, her baby girl stolen.
Haynes’ aunt, Sandra Grandmaison, described her niece as a loving woman who was slow to develop intellectually and never graduated high school. Haynes, she said, already had a name picked out for the baby, but wouldn’t share it, wanting to surprise her family.
Police will know Haynes’ cause of death following a toxicology report but it appears she suffered a blow to the head.
Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
Daily Pro-Life News Report Twice-Weekly Pro-Life
News Report Receive a free daily email report from LifeNews.com with the latest pro-life news stories on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here. Receive a free twice-weekly email report with the latest pro-life news headlines on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here.
