This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Kearns woman who allegedly put her newborn baby girl in a garbage can last week was charged Friday with trying to kill the infant.
Alicia Marie Englert, 23, was charged in 3rd District Court with one count of first-degree felony attempted murder.
Meanwhile, the health of a baby girl is improving and she is now in fair condition, according to police authorities.
A conviction on the attempted murder charge is punishable by up to life in prison.
No court dates were immediately set for Englert. But her bail has been doubled, from $250,000 to 500,000, cash-only. She remains incarcerated at the Salt Lake County jail.
According to court documents, Englert allegedly admitted to police that on Aug. 24, she gave birth to the baby in the bathroom of her Kearns home. She wrapped the infant in a towel, left her on the floor, and went to bed, according to charges. The next day, a Monday, she went to work, leaving the child wrapped in the towel on the floor.
After returning from work, Englert could see the infant was still alive because her fingers were moving, according to court records. The following morning — two days after the child's birth — she put the baby in her neighbor's garbage can at about 5:45 a.m.
Englert allegedly admitted to police that she put the baby in the trash, telling them, "I don't want it."
The mother also allegedly told police that she did not know she was pregnant until the day she delivered the child into a toilet, and said she did not feed or care for the infant after the birth.
"She admitted she knew that not providing any care for the baby and discarding the baby in a garbage can was wrong," a police detective wrote. "But said she didn't want her parents to 'freak out' or to know that she'd been pregnant and delivered a baby."
But a convenience store clerk later told police that Englert often came to the store nearby her home, and said she had asked Englert in late July about her pregnancy. The clerk said Englert said she was due in August.
On the morning of Aug. 26, Englert's neighbors told police that they heard what sounded like a kitten crying from a trash can at a home near 5300 South and 5200 West. When they investigated, they found the baby, which was unclothed and not wrapped in anything, according to charges.
Court documents say a neighbor lifted two bags of garbage before finding the infant, and had to have help from her neighbor — Englert's father — to remove the baby from the trash can.
The baby was rushed to Primary Children's Medical Center and was in critical condition for several days. The Unified Police Department reported the baby's upgraded condition on Friday afternoon.
The baby had a low body core temperature, a blood-borne infection and was covered in feces when she arrived at the hospital, according to court records. Medical experts believe the infant had received no care for about 36 hours.
Joanne Beachy, a neonatal intensive care physician at Primary Children's Medical Center, told police that an MRI showed that the baby suffered a mild brain injury due to lack of oxygen, but there was no permanent brain damage. However, the doctor said that because of the medical conditions the child suffered after birth, she is at an increased risk for developmental problems.
A child abuse pediatrician, Kristine Campbell, told police that the baby likely would have died if she had not received medical care, and that the child's poor health was due to the "complete lack of any care" after her birth, according to court records.
Englert's father, Robert Englert, who has said he was unaware of his daughter's pregnancy, has insisted his daughter is developmentally disabled and may not understand the gravity of her actions.
Defense attorney Susanne Gustin, who is representing Englert along with attorney Melissa Fulkerson, said Friday that they are working on gathering records about her client's history.
"I am aware of [the father's] claim," she said. "Obviously, we're investigating that. The most important part is getting all of her records, her school records and her medical health records."
Unified Police officials say they have found no medical evidence for Englert — who graduated high school, maintains social media accounts and held a job with a car rental agency — was mentally incompetent.
Englert told police she does not know who fathered the baby, which has been placed in the protective custody of the Utah Division of Child and Family Services.
Twitter: @jm_miller