A 35-year-old Kentucky woman has been arrested following a disturbing incident at an IHOP restaurant, where she allegedly attempted to flush her newborn down a toilet.
According to arrest documents, the Bowling Green Police Department and emergency medical services were dispatched to a local IHOP shortly after 8 p.m. on May 29.
The initial 911 calls reported a woman bleeding in the restroom who appeared to have had a miscarriage.
However, the situation escalated when the caller informed emergency dispatchers that they had seen a baby in the toilet and believed the woman had just given birth and attempted to flush the infant.
Upon arrival, first responders gathered accounts from several witnesses who confirmed the woman’s alleged attempt to flush the baby down the toilet.
The woman had reportedly left the restaurant on foot immediately following the incident.
Authorities discovered the deceased infant in the restroom, though it was not immediately clear whether the baby was born alive. An autopsy is pending to determine the cause of death.
Officers later located the woman, identified only as Caldwell, in the parking lot of a nearby Red Roof Inn.
She had declined medical care and made several erratic statements, including claiming connections to celebrities such as Denzel Washington and Michael Jordan and insisting she had not engaged in sexual activity for at least six years.
Caldwell was arrested and booked into the Warren County Detention Center, where she is being held on a $2,500 bond.
She currently faces a Class A misdemeanor charge of concealing the birth of an infant, which carries a potential penalty of up to 12 months in prison and a $500 fine.
However, authorities noted that further charges could be filed pending the results of the newborn’s autopsy.
