Brazilian mother accused of tossing newborn into dumpster in Florida

A Brazilian woman was arrested by Florida authorities last Thursday for allegedly putting her newborn baby in a plastic bag and tossing her into a garbage can, according to the Associated Press.

Alessandra Carbalho Sousa, 35, was charged with attempted murder and child abuse after she admitted to detectives that she had tried to get rid of her infant girl, whom the woman had thought was dead, by throwing her away.

Maintenance workers had reportedly heard the baby crying last Wednesday before finding the infant in a dumpster. Detectives then combed through the garbage bin and found a receipt from a beauty supply store along with a number of blood-soaked napkins. Authorities also found several more napkins soaked in blood in a bag similar to the one the baby was found in.

Police went to the beauty supply store, which gave investigators Sousa's address in Boca Raton.

Sousa, who is a married nail technician born in Brazil, told detectives through a Portuguese translator that she checked the baby for signs of life and waited three hours for the infant girl to breathe before putting her in the garbage bin. She also said that she had gone back to the trash twice to confirm that the baby was no longer alive.

Last Friday, a judge ordered Sousa to be held without bond. Immigration officials also revealed that same day that the woman was in the U.S. illegally. A spokesman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said that the agency is already in the process of deporting her once her criminal case is resolved, the Associated Press further notes.

The arrest comes just days after Chicago authorities reported the discovery of a baby boy atop a garbage can. A 16-year-old girl and the baby's father were questioned in that case.