The mother of the infant found dead inside a trashcan in an Oldham County prison is facing murder charges.
Ashley Cox is behind bars after autopsy results showed the baby was born alive.
Police described it all in an arrest report saying:
"While in a female visitors restroom at the Roederer Correction Complex, Ashley Nicole Cox gave birth to a full term live female infant with no medical abnormalities.
Ashley intentionally forced toilet paper into the infant’s mouth until the infant was not able to breathe and suffocated on the obstruction. Ashley then concealed the infant’s body by placing the infant in a waste receptacle bin (garbage can) and covered the infant with paper to avoid detection.
Ashley was deceptive with individuals who questioned her about whether she was pregnant or had given birth and failed to report the birth of the infant to Correctional Officers and a nurse employed by the institution that had responded to the bathroom.”
Kentucky State Police questioned Ashley Cox at Campbellsburg Post Monday afternoon, just before she was charged with murder.
Questions police are trying to figure out include who's the father of the baby and why did this even happen?
Police say “it’s very clear she's responsible for the death of that child.”
Ashley Cox covered her face as police escorted her in for questioning at the Campbellsburg State Police Post.
Shortly after, the 20-year-old was charged with first degree murder for the death of her baby who was found minutes after being born in a trash at the Roederer Correction Complex in Oldham County Sunday.
Trooper Michael Webb of KSP said, “This is just an awful tragedy that someone would take the life of an innocent baby that just came into the world. We just wish there was something we could have done to avoid the situation.”
Cox, seen in pictures we found off her MySpace page, was visiting her boyfriend Justin Bell Sunday who is an inmate at the correction complex.
Supposedly, no one knew Cox was pregnant and her boyfriend has allegedly been incarcerated for more than 9 months.
Cox went to the bathroom during the visit and after ten minutes prison guards checked on her. When she opened the door she was covered in blood and police say she told them she was fine.
Cox was taken to the hospital and Kentucky State Police were called in and found the new baby in the prison's bathroom trashcan.
Police say they have no idea who the father is.
“We have no idea who he is and we couldn't just take her word even if she did tell us. We don't know if we'll ever know his identity,” said Trooper Webb.
Ashley Cox is at the Oldham County jail awaiting her arraignment Wednesday morning at 9:00 p.m. She is being held on a $3 million bond.
