Jamaican Woman in The US Abandoned New-Born in Bushes

Jamaican student in the United States on a J1 visa has been arrested after allegedly abandoning her newborn daughter in bushes in North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina on Sunday. 

Britney Wheatle, 21, has been charged with unlawful conduct towards a child. 

She remains in custody on a US$10,000 bond, which was set on Monday afternoon, according to US media reports.

If convicted, the Jamaican may face up to 10 years in US jail. 

Wheatle was apprehended late Sunday at Walmart, where she worked. She reportedly confessed to giving birth to the baby at an apartment complex and walking to the nearby Live Oak Court to abandon the newborn, said to be less than a day old.

Robyn Cain, a female resident of Live Oak Court in North Myrtle Beach, has been credited for finding the baby in bushes near the neighbourhood.

"The infant had no clothes, no blanket, (and) was lying in the dirt," said North Myrtle Beach Police Department (NMBPD) Public Information Officer, Pat Wilkinson, at a news conference late Monday. 

He said the unnamed baby remains in stable condition at Grand Strand Medical Centre, and there was no evidence that the she was abused.

In providing further details of the case, Wilkinson said Cain first met Wheatle as she walked in the neighbourhood on Sunday morning.

Cain said Wheatle was trying to get to Walmart, where she worked, and she offered her a ride, Wilkinson relayed.

At around 6:18pm on Sunday, Cain was on her usual walk when she heard what appeared to be animal noises, such as a kitten, coming from bushes. 

However, it wasn't a kitten, but a baby girl.

After picking up the baby, Cain called 911, and the baby was taken to the hospital. 

Detectives, after speaking to Cain, tracked down the Jamaican at her workplace. She then allegedly confessed to giving birth to the child in an apartment close to the area where she abandoned the baby, Wilkinson outlined.

Wheatle was taken to the hospital where she was examined and then transported to J Reuben Long Detention Centre. She remains in custody there on bond.


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