Mar 12, 2018 2 min read

NORTH BELLE VERNON – A Westmoreland County woman is facing criminal charges over allegations she gave birth to a baby and then stuffed the newborn into the bottom of a trash receptacle in a bathroom inside a convenience store last year in North Belle Vernon.

Borough police Monday filed charges of reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of children against Brittany Nicole Conway, 25, of Vandergrift in the Sept. 24 incident in a 7-Eleven just off Interstate 70, court records show.

Police were called to the store about 1:15 p.m. because of a report a woman suffered a miscarriage in the restroom, and they found two women who were upset and cleaning up blood. One of the women, Kimberly Conway, reportedly told an officer her daughter, Brittany, was having a miscarriage, police stated in the affidavit supporting the criminal charges.

A Mon Valley Emergency Medical Service crew arrived along with another from Rostraver West Newton Emergency Medical Services, and one of the emergency medical technicians retrieved an obstetrics bag.

According to the affidavit, a paramedic heard a baby whimpering in a trash can in the restroom and found a fully developed newborn wrapped in a tan plastic bag in the bottom of the garbage can, with its umbilical cord and placenta still attached.

Police said Brittany Conway later admitted to an officer that she gave birth to the baby in the commode and used a plastic bag from the trash to retrieve the child from the commode and place the newborn in the trash can.

Westmoreland County detectives entered the case and seized the patient care reports from Mon Valley Emergency Services in Monessen under a search warrant immediately after being notified.

The charges were filed before District Judge Charles Christner and will proceed by summons.

It was not immediately known Monday if Brittany Conway had an attorney to represent her in the case.

It was not immediately known who has custody of the child.