CARROLLTON, Texas—The body of an infant was found inside a flower pot at a cemetery in Carrollton by a caretaker on March 11.
According to police, a caretaker at Perry Cemetery emptied a flower pot that was “out of place” and found the body under soil inside the pot.
The medical examiner determined that the infant was a girl and was 34 weeks to full term. She weighed six pounds and still had the umbilical cord attached to her.
So far they have not determined if the child was stillborn or not.
“We are awaiting further test results to determine whether she was born alive,” Carrollton police spokeswoman Jolene DeVito said in a news release Wednesday.
Investigators say the flower pot may have been placed inside the cemetery between Wednesday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, March 2.
Police say it appears someone was trying to craft a burial spot by putting the body in the pot and placing flowers inside.
“It would seem that whoever placed the baby’s body there also put the flowers, we just don’t know at this point, which is why we’re appealing to the public, anyone who knows anything that can point us on the direction, we want to hear from you,” said DeVito.
Police are also wanting help in identifying the baby in order to give her a proper burial.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 972.466.3324.
Missing 1-Year-Old Found Safe
An amber alert was issued on March 28 for Baylee Sue Peeples and officials said she was taken by Robert Peeples. Baylee’s mother told local media outlets that she tried to get her daughter from Peeples’s car but he took off after saying she would never see Baylee again.
“I got out and I went to get Baylee out and he told me no, you’re not taking her out of the van, she’s going with me,” Tiffany Aycock told 11 Alive. “I tried to get her out anyways, I tried to unbuckle her and he mashed the gas and slung me out of the van … I almost went under it. If my purse hadn’t caught the tire, I’d be under it.”
Robert Peeples, also known as Joey, was arrested and booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on 10:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 28, according to jail records.
He was slated to be transferred to the jail in Arcade, where he allegedly kidnapped Baylee. Peeples has a long arrest record across four different counties in the state and has allegedly made threats against Baylee’s mother in the past.
The charges he’s faced include battery, second-degree disorderly conduct, and parole violations, reported 11 Alive.
Arcade Police Chief Randy Williams said during a news conference after Baylee was found that police wanted to hear Peeples’s side of the story.
“We want to hear his side of the story and find out why he did this,” he said, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We don’t want him to feel that his back is against the wall, because we will work with anybody, but he’s got to come in and tell his side of the story.”
Police didn’t say whether he ended up surrendering or whether he was located. Officials said he dropped Baylee off at his mother’s house around 2 p.m.
Williams said charges against Peeples would likely face aggravated assault and kidnapping charges.
UPDATE: I just spoke with Baylee Peeples mom. She told me her daughter’s father was dropping them off at home & when she tried to get Baylee out of the car seat.. he told her no you will never see her again & drove off. The first pic is what Baylee had on when she taken. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/lwW9cXDoRX
— Kristen Holloway (@KHollowayWSB) March 28, 2019
NTD News reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
