Phoenix police arrest mother of baby found dead in Amazon bathroom
Jan 22, 2019, 3:51 PM | Updated: Jan 23, 2019, 12:21 pm
(Maricopa County Sheriff's Department Photo)
PHOENIX – Phoenix police on Tuesday arrested the woman whose newborn baby was found dead in an Amazon warehouse bathroom last week.
Samantha Vivier, 27, was charged with one count of unlawful disposal of human remains, according to a Phoenix Police Department email.
The newborn girl was located in a plastic bag inside of a trash can of the warehouse, a secured facility near 51st Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road, at around 8:30 p.m.
According to a court document, Vivier admitted to police to giving birth “to a baby that was not moving or breathing” during her shift on Jan. 16.
Vivier did not tell coworkers at the time that she had given birth, but told a friend that day that “she may have had a miscarriage” but did not explain further.
She told police on Tuesday that she did not know she was pregnant and did not have any signs or indications that she could be pregnant, despite gaining approximately 15 pounds.
Vivier told police that she did not see the baby move or breathe after giving birth and concealed the baby to hide the birth from the baby’s father, who was not identified.
She told investigators that she “panicked” and was confident that the baby was dead when she delivered it and did not attempt to render aid to the child.
A death investigation by the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner is ongoing.
The area around the Amazon site, a fulfillment center, is filled with warehouses, including two others operated by the online retail giant, and small businesses.
The Phoenix Fire Department responded to the scene, but the baby could not be revived.
The baby appeared to be either full term or close to it, a Phoenix Police spokesman said at the time.
Investigators located and interviewed the mother soon after the baby was found, but she wasn’t arrested until Tuesday.
No information was provided about how Vivier was identified, how the baby died or why the woman abandoned the girl.
Under Arizona law, mothers can anonymously leave unharmed newborns at designated “safe haven” locations.
They include hospitals, ambulances, churches, on-duty fire stations and adoption agencies. The baby must be under 72 hours old and given to a person.
The law, which was passed in 2001, also states the mothers who follow those instructions will not face prosecution.
Vivier will appear in court next on Feb. 5.