Woman gave birth in Kentucky IHOP bathroom and allegedly tried to flush baby down the toilet

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (TCD) -- A 34-year-old woman was taken into custody after she reportedly gave birth inside a bathroom and tried to flush her deceased child down the toilet.

Shaniqua Caldwell was booked into the Warren County Jail May 30 on a charge of concealing the birth of an infant. She was initially placed on an intervention hold.

According to the Bowling Green Daily News, on Wednesday, May 29, at approximately 8 p.m., the Bowling Green Police Department received a call from someone at the IHOP on Scottsville Road reporting that a woman was bleeding and it seemed like she had suffered a miscarriage. The witness reportedly said there was a child in the toilet, and another person said they saw Caldwell attempt to flush the baby.

Police arrived and located the newborn, who had died.

Witnesses provided a description of Caldwell, and officers found her in the restaurant’s parking lot. She allegedly claimed she did not give birth because she had never been pregnant. Medics at the scene tried to evaluate her, but she rejected treatment. The Bowling Green Daily News reports Caldwell told police she hadn’t had sex in six years and also that she was related to Denzel Washington and Michael Jordan.

A detective wrote in the arrest citation that they were "concerned for her welfare when she refused any medical treatment after likely just giving birth to a child."

She reportedly claimed she was in Kentucky for business but did not elaborate. Jail records listed her address as Georgia.

WBKO-TV reports the child’s autopsy still needs to be completed and that Caldwell could face additional charges.

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