New Bedford woman sentenced to probation after her infant son found deceased in park

A 22-year-old New Bedford woman pled guilty Tuesday in New Bedford District Court on a single charge of Improper Disposal of a Body connected to the male infant found at Fort Taber Park on December 9, 2023.

Daniela Michell Escobar-Mejia, who is the mother of the deceased infant, was sentenced to two years of probation and she must comply with state Department of Children and Family Services orders, which include taking parental classes and receiving counseling, according to the Standard Times.

 According to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, on Saturday, December 9th, 2023, New Bedford Police responded to Fort Taber at approximately 12:40 p.m. after receiving a 911 call regarding the discovery of a deceased infant.   When police arrived on scene, they learned that an adult female was walking along a path near the water with her pre-teen niece when she made observations of a blanket near a thicket of bushes adjacent to the walking path. The woman also detected an odor of decay.  The woman approached the blanket and found a white plastic bag wrapped inside of it. The decomposing deceased infant was located inside the plastic bag. When the woman made the discovery, she immediately yelled out about her discovery to two nearby men who were out walking their dog.  Subsequently, one of the men called 911.

DNA analysis, review of surveillance footage in and around the park and other investigatory methods led detectives to Escobar-Mejia. Subsequent DNA testing determined she was the infant’s mother.  Due to the state of decomposition the infant was found in, the medical examiner was unable to determine if the baby had been alive prior to the alleged dumping of the infant in the park. No cause and manner of death could be determined.

Investigators determined the infant was allegedly left in the park on November 6th, meaning it was there for more than a month prior to it being discovered.

Escobar-Mejia told investigators she hadn’t known she was pregnant until she went into labor in her apartment. She stated that the baby was stuck in the birth canal and when she was able to free him, he was blue and not breathing. She believed he was dead. Escobar-Mejia never received medical attention.