Law enforcement said an East Texas woman is in jail after a newborn baby was found dead in a mop bucket in a backyard.
Jazzlyn Cooper-Holmes, 23, of Longview, was arrested in Smith County on Saturday and charged with abuse of corpse without legal authority.
About 7:20 p.m. Wednesday, Smith County deputies responded to 18957 US Hwy 69 North near Tyler about a dead newborn baby at the location, according to Smith County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Sgt. Larry Christian.
When deputies got to the residence, they were directed to the back yard where they saw an overturned mop bucket covering a lifeless newborn that was wrapped in a towel. At that time, deputies secured the area and requested the assistance of investigators and the crime scene unit, Christian said.
During this investigation, the mother of the newborn was identified as Jazzlyn Cooper-Holmes. Cooper-Holmes admitted to having the infant on March 12, wrapping the infant in a brown towel, placing the infant in a red bucket and placing the bucket outside behind the home.
Smith County Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Andy Dunklin arrived on scene for the inquest and subsequently ordered an autopsy. The dead infant was then transported to Forensic Medical in Tyler for an autopsy.
Investigators prepared an arrest affidavit and presented it to 475th Judicial District Court Judge Taylor Heaton on Thursday. Heaton issued an arrest warrant on Cooper-Holmes for the criminal offense of Abuse of Corpse without Legal Authority and set bond at $1 million.
On Saturday, Smith County deputies arrested Cooper-Holmes and transported her to the Smith County Jail.
Cooper-Holmes, 23, remains in the Smith County Jail on bond.
