By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – St. John the Baptist Sheriff’s Deputies investigated the death Friday of a baby whose body was found in a toilet in the mother’s home.

Maj. Mike Tregre, spokesperson for the St. John Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched to a home in the 1500 block of Natchez Lane, where they found a 19-year-old woman who stated she was about six months pregnant, and was complaining of stomach pains. Tregre said she called police because she thought she had a miscarriage.

Upon arrival, officers searched the home and found the body of the infant in a toilet.

Tregre said there were no signs of foul play at the scene, and the mother was not arrested.

A preliminary autopsy report, performed by Coroner Christy Montegut, said the baby was stillborn. Montegut said there was no sign of trauma or unnatural cause of death. He said it did not look like the mother was trying to perform an abortion.

Tregre said the mother, whose name was not released, was taken to River Parishes Hospital in LaPlace for an examination.