N.Y. Woman Accused of Killing, Dumping Newborn Baby After Giving Birth Alone in Her Home

Andee Wright, 30, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder after her newborn son died of blunt force trauma

Andee Wright
Photo: Erie County District Attorney's Office

A New York mother is in custody on suspicion that she killed her newborn baby just after his birth.

Andee Wright, 30, is accused of intentionally striking her infant son during the early morning hours of Oct. 5, 2020, leading to his death, according to a statement from the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

The statement alleges that shortly before the incident, while Wright was alone at her Tonawanda home, she gave birth to an infant boy. Authorities believe she then hit the newborn at least two times, fracturing his skull and killing him.

Later that morning, Wright's boyfriend called 911 after finding her in medical distress, and "upon further investigation, the infant was found deceased in a garbage can in the basement of the house," the statement reads.

The Erie County Medical Examiner concluded that the boy died of blunt force trauma that penetrated his head.

In a news conference about the charges against Wright, District Attorney John J. Flynn said that when the case was first brought to his attention 11 months ago, he was faced with a claim that Wright had a miscarriage and did not kill her baby, The Buffalo News reports.

"It raised my eyebrows, and it was a situation where I wanted a full-blown investigation on the matter," Flynn said, according to the outlet. "What has taken me almost a year now is trying to determine whether or not the baby was born dead or alive. That is the crux of my prosecution."

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Wright was arraigned Tuesday on an indictment charging her with two counts of second-degree murder. She is being held on $75,000 bail and her next court date has not yet been scheduled.

If Wright is convicted of both charges against her, she faces a maximum of 25 years to life in prison.

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