Watch CBS News

Mother to face murder charge in death of "Baby June"

CBS News Live
CBS News Miami Live

FORT LAUDERDALE - An arrest has been made in the Baby June case.

The Palm Beach Sheriff's Office said that 29-year-old Arya Singh, the mother of a baby found floating in the Boynton Beach Inlet on June 1st, 2018, will be charged with first degree murder. 

An off-duty Boynton Beach firefighter was boating on the ocean side of the inlet when he saw the baby floating in the water. Investigators said the baby girl was between 4-7 days old and was floating in the ocean for six to 18 hours before being discovered.

The sheriff's office said their Cold Case Unit initially identified the baby's father. The father reportedly toldy them he knew nothing about the baby but his girlfriend at the time got pregnant.

Sheriff's investigators got a sample off the woman's DNA sample from a piece of garbage and began building a case against her, according to WPEC, the CBS affiliate in Palm Beach County.

Singh told investigators that she didn't know she was pregnant until she gave birth. She also reportedly told investigators that she gave birth over a hotel toilet and thought child was dead when it was born.

She placed the remains in a backpack and dumped it in the Boynton Beach Inlet that night, according to sheriff's investigators. They believe the child was dead when it was placed in the inlet.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.