James Boothe was arrested for allegedly placing the body of a deceased newborn in a Shell gas station dumpster.
The 45-year-old was allegedly caught on surveillance video carrying a trash bag that was later revealed to have the infant inside.
The Memphis Police Department announced Boothe’s arrest on its official Facebook page. The man is being held in Shelby County Jail, and his bond is set at $250,000.
“Officers were
advised that a female juvenile had given birth. Officers were informed that she was on the way to the hospital when the birth happened, and the male she was with, James, took the baby and placed the baby in a dumpster at 1312 East Shelby Drive. Officers searched the area and located the baby deceased,” the post stated.The owner of the gas station, Jeet Singh Guraya, said the fire department arrived to search the area
after receiving reports about the deceased infant’s whereabouts. He assisted the department by entering the dumpster to retrieve the garbage bag containing the body of the infant.“The fire department came up, and I see the bag in the garbage. Then I just quickly go over there to see what they’re checking for. ‘There’s somebody, a body in the bag,’” Guraya told ABC. “Then I go jump in the garbage, took the bag out, and handed it over to the fire department. They looked at it and said there was a body inside.”
According to reports, the mother of the infant is a 16-year-old girl. The teen told police the baby was born in a vehicle as she was on her way to the emergency room. The girl did not divulge details about how the infant passed away or the circumstances that led to Boothe putting the newborn into a trash bag and discarding it.
The investigation is still open; Boothe’s charges may be updated to include child sexual assault, as the teen divulged that she had been in an inappropriate sexual relationship with Booth since she was 13 years old.
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