Mother Allegedly Tried To Smother Newborn She Secretly Delivered In Toilet Hours Earlier: Cops

A Nevada woman is accused of attempted murder after she allegedly tried to smother her hours-old baby with a blanket, authorities said.

On March 26, Ashley Hollingsworth, 23, gave birth at a Las Vegas home and her family, who only learned later about the delivery, drove the two to the hospital the following day because of the baby’s condition, the newborn’s father told police, according to an arrest report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Once at MountainView Hospital, Hollingsworth brought in the baby but then fled, police said.

“It was later learned that Ashley had attempted to kill the baby by smothering her with a blanket while en route to the hospital,” police wrote in the affidavit.

The new mother’s aunt and uncle claimed Hollingsworth secretly delivered her baby girl in a guest bathroom and they found the newborn in the toilet.

While on the way to the hospital, the uncle told police the baby stopped crying and when he looked, Hollingsworth was pushing a blanket over the girl’s face. He was able to rescue the child after she allegedly did it a second time, police said.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers located Hollingsworth two hours later near the medical facility in blood-covered pants and suffering a head wound.

According to the affidavit, she told police she got “beat up by a rock” and during an interview days later “continuously talked about prophecies and other religious ideations” and said her baby was evil.

According to the Review-Journal, Hollingsworth’s arrest report had a redacted entry listing a medical condition for which she said she hadn’t been taking her medication while pregnant.

Hollingsworth faces one count each of attempted murder and child abuse and was being held without bail.