BROOKE SKYLAR RICHARDSON; TEENAGE PREGNANCY, TEENAGE MIND

 BROOKE SKYLAR RICHARDSON; teenage pregnancy,

                           TEENAGE MIND

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INTRODUCTION

        Skylar Brooke Richardson is from Ohio, where she attended 

 school and was a varsity cheerleader. She is the daughter of Kim

 and Scott Richardson, and has a younger brother. She developed

 anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa as a 12-year-old and was

 diagnosed with body dysmorphia. She has post-traumatic stress

 disorder (PTSD) and depression.

PREGNANCY AND BIRTH

          On April 26, 2017, Richardson, a high-school senior, learned 

at a gynecologist appointment that she was pregnant and in her 

third trimester. Richardson kept her pregnancy a secret from her 

friends and family. Two days after attending her senior prom on

 May 5, 2017, Richardson gave birth to a girl in the bathroom of 

her parents' house.She named the girl Annabelle before burying 

her in her parents' backyard.

          At another visit to the gynecologist, Richardson admitted to 

having given birth and burying the baby in the backyard.

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INVESTIGATION

            On July 14, 2017, the skeletal remains of an infant were 

exhumed from the backyard of the home of Richardson's parents.

 Following an autopsy, forensic pathologist Dr. Elizabeth Murray

 determined that the baby's bones were partially charred and died 

of homicidal violence. Murray retracted the assertion that the 

baby's bones had been charred before Richardson's trial.

            In a recorded interview by police, Richardson agreed with 

an investigator's suggestion that she tried to cremate the baby. 

When visited by her parents, Richardson reiterated her statement

 that she had attempted to cremate the newborn.

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TRIAL

            In a trial on September 3, 2019, Richardson pleaded not 

guilty to charges in Warren County, Ohio, of aggravated murder, 

involuntary manslaughter, gross abuse of a corpse, tampering with

 evidence and child endangerment. The prosecution alleged that 

Richardson burned her newborn child's body before burying it in 

the backyard of her home. The prosecution asserted that 

Richardson had performed an internet search of “how to get rid of

 a baby.”

           The defense argued that Richardson was subjected to an

 overzealous interrogation. A psychologist diagnosed Richardson 

with dependent personality disorder and testified that this disorder

 could have led her to make a false confession.

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AFTERMATH/CONCLUSIONS

            Following the trial, Richardson attended college and worked

 part-time at the law firm that represented her. Her probation was 

terminated in 2020, nearly two years early. In 2022, Richardson 

won a bid to have records of her conviction sealed.

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DEFINITIONS FOR REFERENCE

          1. Concealment of birth: is the act of a parent (or other 

responsible person) failing to report the birth of a child. The term 

is sometimes used to refer to hiding the birth of a child from 

friends or family, but is most often used when the appropriate 

authorities have not been informed about a stillbirth or the death 

of a newborn. This is a crime in many countries, with varying 

punishments.

          2. Teenage pregnancy: also known as adolescent pregnancy,

 is pregnancy in a female under the age of 20.Worldwide, pregnancy 

complications are the leading cause of death for women and girls 15 to 19 

years old. The definition of teenage pregnancy includes those who are 

legally considered adults in their country

          3. Stillbirth: is typically defined as fetal death at or after 20 or 28 

weeks of pregnancy, depending on the source. Itresults in a baby born 

without signs of life. A stillbirth can often result 

in the feeling of guilt or grief in the mother. The term is in contrast to 

miscarriage, which is an early pregnancy loss, and sudden infant death

 syndrome, where the baby dies a short time after being born alive.

        4. tampering with a corpse: 1)A person commits the crime of abuse of

 corpse in the second degree if, except as otherwise authorized by law, the

 person intentionally:

(a)Abuses a corpse; or

(b)Disinters, removes or carries away a corpse.

(2)Abuse of corpse in the second degree is a Class C felony.

(3)As used in this section and ORS 166.087 (Abuse of corpse in the first 

degree), “abuse of corpse” includes treatment of a corpse by any person in

 a manner not recognized by generally accepted standards of the 

community or treatment by a professional person in a manner not generally

 accepted as suitable practice by other members of the profession, as may

 be defined by rules applicable to the profession.