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Newborn not abandoned, police report determines

There is “no evidence to substantially corroborate” any suspicion that the newborn baby reported abandoned in Auto late last month was “left alone by the mother … in circumstances which may result in serious physical injury, illness or death.” This was the finding of the report submitted to the Attorney General’s Office from the Criminal Investigation Division that looked into the matter.

 

This report led to the Attorney General’s office to decline to pursue criminal prosecution. Samoa News questioned Commissioner of Public Safety, William Bill Haleck and he referred the queries to CID Commander Lavata’i Taase Sagapolutele who oversees the division that conducted the investigation.

 

According to the report Deputy Attorney General MItzie Jessop made the final disposition last month after she was provided with “evidential facts” from the investigation into the alleged abandonment.

 

“Rooted on the provided findings by the CID, the Attorney General’s office has then declined to pursue prosecution of this alleged matter criminally,” says the report.

 

The police report states that the mother of the newly born baby is a single 20-year old female who’s currently a student at the American Samoa Community College who’s living with her parents in Auto.

 

FALSE REPORT TO POLICE

 

“Yes it’s true that the mother of the newly born baby made a false report, however that statement alone was made to her own mother out of fear, but not directly to the police.”

 

The police report further stated that during the course of the investigation, the mother of the newly born baby retracted the false report and confessed to detectives that she is indeed the biological mother of the newly born child.

 

BACKGROUND

 

Late last month DPS Commissioner’s Special Assistant Saite Fuega Moliga told Samoa News a newborn baby that was found in an umu shed in Auto was reported to be healthy and strong and the baby was in the hospital for observation after she was reported abandoned.

 

According to police officers, they received a call from a woman claiming that she saw a newborn baby in an umu near her house.

 

Detectives later questioned the woman who called police for assistance and during questioning she admitted to the police that it was her baby. However, she allegedly told police she was scared and that’s why she reported the baby as one she had found abandoned.