Polk County Sheriff's detectives have charged a 14-year-old girl with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse for allegedly choking her newborn baby to death.
The girl, Cassidy Goodson, was arrested Thursday night.
Detectives say the girl hid her pregnancy from her family. She gave birth to a boy in the bathroom of her home on Sept. 19, then told detectives that she choked the baby and put him in a shoebox. The girl's mother found the baby in the box, hidden in some laundry.
The girl is being held at the Polk County Juvenile Detention Facility.
Here's the arrest report from the Polk Sheriff's Office:
On Wednesday, September 19, 2012, Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies, along with members of the Department of Children and Families, responded to the Lakeland Regional Medical Center after medical staff reported treating 14-year-old Cassidy Goodson, DOB 11/27/1997, 7078 Greenbrier Village Drive, Lakeland, for what was reported to be a miscarriage. The initial investigative information was forwarded to the PCSO Bureau of Criminal Investigations for investigative follow-up. Detectives learned the teen, who weighs 100 pounds and is approximately 5’3” tall, had been attempting to conceal her pregnancy from her family by wearing baggy clothing for the past several months. Some members of the family suspected the teen was pregnant and counseled Teresa Goodson regarding the teen’s changing appearance. During this time, Mrs. Goodson denied her daughter’s pregnancy advising family members that two home pregnancy tests were administered and showed no positive result. Both tests were conducted by the teen, alone and in private, with no parent present in the room at the time, because Mrs. Goodson wanted to protect her daughter’s privacy. An autopsy performed determined the victim was a full term infant and that he was alive and breathing prior to death. The cause of death was a result of asphyxia from strangulation and blunt force trauma. Cassidy told detectives she choked the baby to “stop him from breathing.” Cassidy Goodson is charged with Premeditated First Degree Murder, (Capital Felony) and Aggravated Child Abuse, (First Degree Felony.) Cassidy was arrested late Thursday, September 27, 2012. She was medically screened and cleared prior to being arrested and transported initially to the Juvenile Assessment Center, then transferred to the Polk County Juvenile Detention Facility.
