Cherlie LaFleur Threw Her Dead Newborn Baby In High School Trashcan: Pennsylvania Police

A Pennsylvania teen threw her dead baby into a trashcan just after giving birth in a high school bathroom, cops say.

Cherlie LaFleur, 19, allegedly tried to flush the newborn down the toilet at McCaskey East High School in Lancaster, Penn., on Tuesday, but she decided to put it in the garbage instead, WHP-TV reports.

A custodian found the fetus at around 10 p.m. on Tuesday and alerted police, TPVI reports. The next day investigators looked over surveillance footage and interviewed students, identifying LaFleur as a suspect. She was arrested and charged with concealing the death of a child.

Investigators didn't know if the baby was a stillborn; an autopsy showed it was 27 to 29 weeks.

A coroner told Lancaster Online that the baby could have lived.

"Even under the best circumstances, specialized and aggressive care would have been required," Stephen Diamantoni told the publication. "But, yes, the baby could have survived. In fact, most babies born at this point would survive."

LaFleur was thrown in Lancaster County Prison and her bail was set at $1 million. Her charge will stand regardless of whether the child was born dead or alive.