On Saturday, Apr. 27, one San Jose, CA mother admitted to killing her infant son. According to the SF Gate , 23-year-old Ashley Renee Newton fatally stabbed her 7-month-old son multiple times at the Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore, CA.
Newton, who was standing on side of the highway with the bloodied, lifeless baby, caught the attention of a driver passing by. Ironically, the man who stopped to help her was Chief Michael Harris of the Livermore Police Department. She immediately tried to hand the wounded baby to him, and attempted to get into his vehicle.
A local park lieutenant, a California Highway Patrol officer and first responders soon arrived at the scene to assist Harris with what they initially thought was a car crash. Officials stated that a car accident, which they assumed was a hit-and-run, was reported around 10:30am. A gray Honda Civic had reportedly crashed into some large rocks near a camp site. There was even damage to the front-end and back-end of the vehicle. The first responders attempted to perform CPR on the unconscious child, but unfortunately it was too late. Minutes later, the baby was pronounced dead at the scene.
However, during their rescue efforts, they did notice that the child’s injuries were not sustained in any type of car crash. The injuries were then identified as “deep stab wounds.” Officials also purported that Newton’s behavior and comments were also questionable. The disheveled woman displayed signs of someone suffering from some for of mental health issue.
“She made several spontaneous statements at the scene that implicated her as being the sole person responsible,” East Bay Regional Park District police Sgt. Tyrone Davis said.
Police also discovered a pocket knife nearby that they assume belonged to Newton. She also appeared to be suffering from knife wounds to her own wrist. Newton was then arrested on suspicion of murder.
During an interview with local investigators on Sunday, Apr. 28, Newton confessed to killing her own baby, but her motive has yet to be determined. East Bay Regional Park District Police Chief Timothy Anderson also weighed in with a brief statement about Newton’s possible motive.
“I am very curious about why she may have done what she did,” Anderson said. “Many of our officers have families of their own. Something like this hits them really hard.”
It has been reported that Newton has a history of depression, but authorities have not officially determined if she was depressed at the time of the murder. Authorities stated that the pending toxicology reports will also determine if drugs played a part in her actions.
According to jail records, Newton remains in custody at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, CA without any possibility of being released on bond.
Image via Bing, East Bay Regional Park District Police