Photo Courtesy of Google
Becker allegedly gave birth to the little girl at this Days Inn in Long Island City.
By Forum Staff
A Long Island woman has been charged in the death of her baby who was born prematurely in a Long Island City hotel bathroom in July 2018, Chief Assistant District Attorney John Ryan, on behalf of Queens DA Richard Brown, announced on Monday.
Lauren Becker, 36, who is currently hospitalized, was arraigned Friday via video conference on a complaint charging her with second-degree manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. Becker was remanded and ordered her to return to court on April 5.
According to the criminal complaint, on July 18, 2018, at approximately 7:30 p.m., emergency responders arrived at the Days Inn on Queens Boulevard near Thomson Avenue following a 911 call from a relative of Becker. The caller said that Becker had texted, informing the relative that she had delivered her baby in the toilet of the hotel room; and despite the family member directing Becker to take the newborn to the hospital, that Becker allegedly refused.
Following a brief search, authorities traced Becker’s whereabouts to a room on the sixth floor of the hotel, where, upon entering, they allegedly discovered Becker and her infant daughter, whose body was lifeless, blue and wrapped in a towel on top of a bed. Emergency medical technicians transported both Becker and the newborn girl to Elmhurst General Hospital, where the baby was pronounced dead. An autopsy determined that the baby was born approximately six to eight weeks early and was alive at birth.
According to the charges, the medical examiner determined the baby’s cause of death to be complications of prematurity due to failure to seek medical evaluation and treatment. In addition, the autopsy showed the baby had liquid in her stomach—consistent with Becker allegedly stating she had breast fed the little girl—and toxicology results showed the infant had both cocaine and the anxiety disorder medication Xanax in her system. The drugs, however, were not at lethal levels that would have killed the baby, according to test results.
Becker was arrested last Wednesday. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison.
