[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
A Florida woman is facing manslaughter charges over the disturbing 2022 death of her newborn son.
Bianca DeSouza (pictured in her mugshot, above) was 19 years old at the time of the May 2022 incident when her hours-old infant died on a bed in her mother’s Boca Raton home. According to a probable cause affidavit in the case, Bianca was laying on a bed in another room when her mother came home to find the infant — who had been born only hours before — lying lifelessly on a bed alone.
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The investigation into the infant’s death has been a long time in coming, and Bianca was only arrested on Friday of last week. Now, finally, details are coming to light about what transpired. Per the arrest affidavit uncovered on Wednesday by People, Bianca’s mother asked the teenager to call 911 to get medical help for the infant. However, the teen allegedly replied that her phone was going to die, and declined to make the call.
The mother rushed to call police, and first responders showed up to render aid. Sadly, it was too late, and the newborn baby was declared dead. The reason behind the baby’s death was later determined to be asphyxia, with homicide as the official cause listed in medical reports.
Cops questioned Bianca at the scene, and she confirmed to them that she went into labor at home while wearing shorts. Per the arrest affidavit, the teenager “pulled [the shorts] to the side during the birth,” and the child “came out of the right side of her shorts.” Officers noted in their write-up that they found the baby with shorts wrapped around its torso.
DeSouza’s mother claimed to officers that her daughter had previously been diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenia and PTSD. She also indicated that Bianca had switched around her medications and dosages during pregnancy. To that end, Bianca told cops she considered terminating the pregnancy months before, but decided not to. In fact, Bianca had apparently been intending on giving up the baby for adoption as she was uncertain of her ability to care for the child.
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Sadly, that didn’t happen, as the child died shortly after being born. Now, Bianca has been charged with manslaughter after she allegedly did nothing to help the struggling newborn or seek out first responders. In an interview with cops, the transcript of which is partially revealed in the arrest affidavit, Bianca reportedly admitted that she did exceedingly little:
“I didn’t know what was going on. I gave birth … and kind of just sat there. … I just didn’t do anything and I’m so mad. It was like my body stopped working.”
So sad…
Tragically, the teenager’s mom believes Bianca likely had “a psychotic break” during the birth, and was rendered helpless in the baby’s time of need. Indeed, the psychological effects of pregnancy and birth on a person can be larger than most think.
Regardless, cops have charged the teenager with counts of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child negligence. She is now being represented by a public defender, per People.
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
[Image via Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office]
