Answers in baby's death could be months away

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, March, 2007 | by Kathleen Brady Shea

Six weeks after Upper Darby police found an infant's corpse in a bloody tote bag, determining whether the baby was born alive or dead may depend on time-consuming analyses of the lungs and central nervous system.

"People need to understand that a case like this can take several months," said Delaware County Medical Examiner Frederic N. Hellman. "I don't release the information in pieces."

Hellman said he may never be able to determine with certainty if the 5- to 6-pound boy was stillborn when the mother, an 18-year-old Drexel University freshman, gave birth on Jan. 1.

Karl E. Williams, the medical examiner for Allegheny County, said it is typical for results in such cases to take a couple of months.

One of the most reliable tests, checking the lungs...