CENTRALIA, Wash. (AP) — A prosecutor in Washington state says a 25-year-old woman has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a baby boy born prematurely and found decapitated.
Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer said Laura Lynn Hickey was charged Thursday in Superior Court. Bail was set at $1 million during a brief court appearance and a lawyer was appointed to represent her. Lawyer Ken Johnson did not immediately return a call for comment.
Hickey was arrested Wednesday after a weeklong investigation, which included a post-mortem examination of the baby by a forensic pathologist.
Officer John Panco says the pathologist concluded the 21-week baby was alive at birth but “suffered fatal injuries by decapitation.”
Police say the body was found March 2 under the kitchen sink in Hickey’s trailer home.
