A woman accused of abandoning her newborn daughter in a field nearly three decades ago is facing murder charges, according to South Carolina police.
Brook Graham, 53, of Greenville, is believed to be the baby’s mother based on new DNA evidence, the AP reports.
Police arrested Graham earlier this month after the DNA evidence indicated she was baby Julie’s mother. Authorities initially charged her with homicide by child abuse but later upgraded the charges to murder, according to the report.
Police said she left her newborn daughter to die in a cardboard box in a field in 1990.
Later, a man who went into the field to pick wildflowers for his wife for Valentine’s Day found the baby’s body, Greenville News reports. Authorities said she was in the box wrapped in newspaper, and the placenta and umbilical cord were still attached.
The baby was given the name Julie Valentine.
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Authorities believe baby Julie was born alive outside a hospital setting.
Infant abandonment and infanticide are problems across the world. A few months ago, LifeNews reported about a baby being abandoned in a grave yard in the Philippines.
Many countries have laws and programs to help desperate mothers who otherwise may abandon their babies. In the United States, safe haven laws allow mothers in crisis to leave their newborns in a safe environment, such as a hospital or fire station, without questions or repercussions.
Other countries have baby drop boxes that allow women to surrender their infants. These specially made boxes are designed to keep the baby warm and comfortable, and most are equipped with an alarm to alert authorities of the baby’s presence.
If you or someone you know would like more information about relinquishing a newborn child, please call 1-866-99BABY1 or 1-888-510-BABY. More information also is available at NationalSafeHavenAlliance.org or SafeHavenLaw.com.
