3-Month-Old Baby Boy Found Dead In Suitcase Inside Closet; Mother Facing Charges

A woman in North Carolina is facing charges after a 3-month-old baby was found dead inside a suitcase.

Police believe the infant boy had been dead for more than 12 hours when they found the body.

Officers with the Roanoke Rapids Police Department arrived at a house Wednesday afternoon after receiving a call requesting a welfare check. They conducted a search inside the home and found the 3-month-old baby dead in a closet, reported CBS 17.

The baby boy was wrapped in a blanket and placed in a suitcase inside the closet.

The child's mother, 34-year-old Synkel Davis, was taken into custody and charged with felony concealment of the death of a child.

Roanoke Rapids Police Chief Bobby Martin said there are still many unanswered questions about the tragic discovery.

"I am a grandfather. I have a very young granddaughter, and when you respond to something like this, you often question why and how this has happened," Martin said, as quoted by WRAL.com.

Davis is currently not facing murder charges because police do not have any evidence to indicate the nature of the child's death. However, Martin said the mother was detained because she did nothing despite knowing her child was dead.

"The mother knowingly knew the child to be deceased and [did not] tried to call for assistance of the child," Martin added.

The mother could face additional charges after the cause of death is determined.

"We are going on what evidence we have at hand," Martin said. "Any evidence that would be recovered on the autopsy of the child would help us make further decisions on. Eventually, the other charges could be filed, such as homicide."

A similar incident triggered a murder investigation last year after a 12-year-old girl was found stuffed inside a suitcase in Paris, France. The child, identified as Lola, was found dead with her throat slashed and two numbers — 1 and 0 — "placed" on her corpse. Autopsy results revealed the child died of asphyxiation. Four people were taken into custody soon after the discovery.