SUMTER, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina authorities said the parents of a newborn have been charged with neglect in connection with the infant’s July death.
A woman called the Sumter Police Department on July 31, saying she had delivered a baby a few months prematurely and that the baby was unresponsive. However, police said an autopsy report found that the birth was full-term and the child was alive “for some time without receiving aid.”
Melissa Bautch, 21, faces a charge of homicide by child neglect.
The baby’s father, Brandon Hostetler, was not home when the birth occurred, but police said neither he nor Bautch sought medical attention for the baby. He’s been charged with unlawful neglect.