Police believe woman tried to flush newborn

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City police are investigating a 20-year-old woman who allegedly tried to flush her newborn son down the toilet at a McDonald's restaurant.

Both the baby and the mother, a Kansas City resident who works at the McDonald's, are being treated at a hospital after the Monday afternoon incident. Police said the child is expected to survive.

"Fortunately, the baby's fine," Capt. Rich Lockhart said Tuesday. "The baby's at the hospital getting treatment. The mother's at the hospital getting treatment. We're investigating it."

The incident occurred about 12:50 p.m. Monday. Lockhart said workers became concerned after the woman didn't return from the restroom. The workers quickly called paramedics after checking on the woman.

No charges had been filed as of late Tuesday morning. Lockhart said police have interviewed workers at the McDonald's and planned to talk to the mother once she's able to speak to them.

"She's being treated, and we haven't been able to talk to her to get her side of all of this," Lockhart said.

Police will then consult with prosecutors to determine what, if any, charges will be filed.

Lockhart said the woman was 32 weeks pregnant when she gave birth in the restroom. She allegedly told paramedics that she tried to flush the baby down the toilet several times, he said.

The child was still in the toilet and wasn't breathing when paramedics arrived, he said. They administered CPR on the child to get him breathing again, Lockhart said.

The paramedics then rushed the baby and mother to the hospital. Police were notified about 2:30 p.m. Monday, Lockhart said.

"The mother told paramedics that she didn't know she was pregnant," he said.

The newborn has been placed in the temporary custody of children's services, Lockhart said. It was not clear whether the woman has other children, he said.

John Jelinek, who owns and operates the McDonald's restaurant, said he was "truly shocked by the unfortunate incident."

"The safety and well-being of my customers and employees is always my top priority," Jelinek said in a written statement Tuesday afternoon. "As this is a pending police matter, it would be inappropriate to discuss further."