HOUSTON – The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has announced a woman has been charged after a baby was found in the trash in August 2024.
Woman charged with tampering after newborn baby was found in trash
Officials said Catherine Nicole Innes, 22, has been charged with tampering with evidence-human corpse.
Authorities said Innes allegedly discarded her newborn baby in the trash, court documents stated.
What we know:
The discovery was made by workers in a waste collection truck in the 13200 block of Fountain Chest.
Officials said the workers found what appeared to be a newborn baby dead in the trash can.
According to court documents, it all started when Innes began experiencing severe stomach pains. She told officials that she entered the shower and ran cold water on herself in an attempt to relieve the discomfort.
The court documents stated that during that time, Innes gave birth while in the shower.
Documents stated that Innes reported the child began to make some noise. She said she then passed out onto the shower floor, and upon regaining consciousness, discovered the newborn baby was no longer breathing.
Innes said, according to court documents, she became frightened and placed the newborn baby inside a trash bag. She further explained that she removed a pink night gown she had been wearing during the time of birth, used towels to clean the blood from the shower, and placed all those items into the same trash bag as the newborn baby.
Innes stated to officials that she disposed of the trash bag in an outdoor garbage bin located outside the home. According to Innes, the garbage bag remained outside for approximately three days until it was collected during trash pickup, according to court documents.
Court documents further stated that Innes informed authorities that she currently has a 3-year-old son and lives with her boyfriend. She stated that while her boyfriend had expressed a desire for more children – and she shared that desire – she did not believe it was the right time to have another child.
What’s next:
Innes has been booked into the Harris County Jail and is expected to appear in court late Monday night.
The Source: Information from Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and court documents.
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