19-year-old woman leaves newborn baby in wooded area, charged with attempted murder, police said

A 19-year-old Maryland woman abandoned her newborn baby in the woods, but the child survived.

Police have now charged the mom with crimes that could put her behind bars for decades.

On July 14, the Anne Arundel County Police Department was called to a house in Glen Burnie, Maryland, after residents reported the sound of a crying baby coming from the woods, according to authorities.

Police said they found the baby and took her to paramedics. Police say, today, the infant is doing well and is healthy.

An investigation was conducted by police over the next two weeks and it ended with Olivia Dee Rose Thompson, 19, being charged with first- and second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, first- and second-degree neglect of a minor, reckless endangerment and desertion of a minor.

Thompson was arrested at her home without incident, police said.

Police said this was “a tragic incident which could have been avoided."

“The Anne Arundel County Police wants to stress to all that in Maryland, no one ever has to abandon a newborn baby. Under the Safe Haven law, a distressed parent who is unable or unwilling to care for their infant can safely give up custody of their baby, no questions asked,” WTOP News reported from a police statement.