Tenn. mom tells police she smothered newborn twins

[doggie]

this is so sad and crazy.

 

TRAVIS LOLLER

Published: Sep 15, 2011 6:27 PM

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A young mother charged with murder has told police she hid her pregnancy, gave birth to twin sons at her family's home and killed the infants by smothering their cries so her parents wouldn't hear them.

 

Police in the Nashville suburb of Hendersonville arrested Lindsey Lowe, 25, on Wednesday after her father discovered one baby's body in a laundry basket.

 

According to a police affidavit, the young mother said she didn't tell her family she was pregnant, but believes she got pregnant in January and never visited a doctor. Police said on Thursday they were trying to identify the father of the twins.

 

Police said they interviewed Lowe who said she went into labor Monday evening while on the toilet at her parent's home. She said the first baby fell into the toilet and began to cry.

 

"Lowe stated that the baby was crying and Lowe did not want her parents to hear and find out about the child," police wrote in the affidavit. "Lowe stated that she put her hand over the child's mouth and she stated that she kept it there until the child was dead, which was a couple of minutes." Lowe said she never checked the sex of the child.

 

A few minutes later, the affidavit says, she gave birth to the second child, who also fell in the toilet. She again put her hand over the baby's mouth and held it there until the baby died, which she said took less time than the first child. She put both babies in the laundry basket and covered them up with blankets.

 

Police said both boys appeared to be full term and weighing about 5 or 6 pounds.

 

Lowe, who works at a pediatric dentist's office, was charged with first-degree murder and remained in jail Thursday with no bond. Police said she is undergoing a medical evaluation.

 

Police Lt. Scott Ryan said Thursday that he didn't know how she hid the pregnancy, just saying that she didn't tell anyone. He would not say whether Lowe was helping them to identify the father.

 

Ryan said women with unwanted pregnancies have several options, including a safe haven law that allows newborns to be dropped off at places like hospitals and police stations.

 

"No matter how bleak the outlook may be for you, let someone help you out," Ryan said.

 

Someone answered a call by The Associated Press to Lowe's father but hung up when asked for comment.

 

Senior Pastor at City Road Chapel United Methodist Church Ron Lowery said he got a call from Lowe's parents on Wednesday to come to the house for support during the police investigation. He said Lindsey and her sister grew up in the church and were regularly involved in youth activities.

 

On Thursday, he said the family was stable and was figuring out what to do next.

 

"It's amazing how we somehow have the ability to cope even in life's worst disasters," Lowery said.

 

As to why Lindsey was so desperate to hide the pregnancy, Lowery said, "It's a mystery to everybody."

[Burris]

This isn't a desperate young women who feared the wrath of her parents; the is a murderer, aged 25 and employed, who had other options concerning the pregnancy but didn't explore them. WTF?

[GenerationCedarchip]

There's got to be more to this. My first thought was to wonder if the mother was mentally ill. Either that or there's something in the dynamic between her and her parents that we don't know.

[luckylibrarian]

Yeah, there is something with the dynamic with her parents that caused this. That doesn't change that she is a murderer, but it may explain it. I doubt that the family is as stable as everyone thinks. I could see a 15 or 16 yr old girl doing this, but a 25 yr old woman having sex and getting pregnant outside of marriage shouldn't be a huge shock.

Those poor babies. :(

[Guest Anonymous]

I'm sickened by this. My sister last year lost one of her twins at 26 weeks preg. and then delivered her healthy twin and the stillborn twin two weeks later. We, as a close family, were heartbroken for my sister and her husband. When I read things like this it makes me sad because my sister would do anything to have her baby here today. She is still struggling with this every day. This woman makes me sick. Will she ever know how lucky she was to have these babies? Why would she do this?

[Guest Anonymous]

My guess is mental illness. How devastating. :cry:

[Jessica]

What a tragic story! :(

I'm sickened by this. My sister last year lost one of her twins at 26 weeks preg. and then delivered her healthy twin and the stillborn twin two weeks later. We, as a close family, were heartbroken for my sister and her husband. When I read things like this it makes me sad because my sister would do anything to have her baby here today. She is still struggling with this every day. This woman makes me sick. Will she ever know how lucky she was to have these babies? Why would she do this?

That's so sad. I'm so sorry! :( Not to totally derail the thread, but what do they do when this happens? Does the twin that died just stay in with the living twin? How long can it stay in the uterus? If the other twin is taking a while to be born and the other starts to decompose (?) do they induce/do a c-section?

[Beeks]

When a baby passes away inside the mother, it will not start to decompose inside of her. That process doesn't begin until the baby has been born. Usually with multiples, if one passes away so early that it would be dangerous to deliver the other and there are no other dangers/complications, yes, they will just leave the twin that has passed in with its sibling until the sibling can be safely delivered.

[Jessica]

Interesting, thanks Beeks!

[Guest Anonymous]

When my sister found out the twin died, the doc said her body would probably go into labor pretty much anytime. We were praying and hoping that she would stay pregnant as long as possible obviously because of the other living twin but we knew she wouldn't go even close to full term. She went into labor on her own two weeks later and they couldn't stop it so she delivered both babies by c-section. Ava, my niece who died was beautiful and there were no real signs of decomposition (my sister was really scared of what she might look like). She was just teeny tiny and perfect really. I got to hold her and kiss her and say goodbye to her. Her twin Kiah is now a beautiful, healthy 2 yr old despite spending 9 weeks in the NICU. Our family feels really blessed to have her.

Thats why this story has been really hard for me.

[Kitty]

A girl I went to high school with, and was in marching band with, stabbed her newborn daughter to death. She gave birth at home, stabbed the baby, shoved her in the closet, and then somehow wound up at a hospital. If anyone knows about the Becca Blackmore case... yeah, I knew her, and she didn't seem crazy, though the courts are now saying she was mentally ill.

I think this could have been prevented if women and girls weren't shamed for being sexual, and being pregnant. I don't doubt that Lindsey Lowe and Becca Blackmore were both mentally ill. This is a deadly combination, and the poor babies had to pay the price.

I do have to wonder how the hell someone hides being pregnant with twins. Becca was only pregnant with one and failed at hiding it- she kept denying she was pregnant though several people had asked her if she was. I bet the same is true for Ms. Lowe.

[marmalade]

I wonder if she always lived at home or maybe lost a job and had to move back in with her parents to save the money to get herself back on her feet? I do think a fear of the parents' and possibly their church's reaction led her to murder those precious babies.

At 25, what other reason could there be? If she was on her own, self-supporting and living at some distance from the influence of her parents and their church, I seriously doubt this would have happened.

Even so, the scenario is so pre-Roe v. Wade. My birth mother was in the same predicament; she tried to keep me, but societal pressure, not to mention raising a baby on an executive secretary's salary, led her to give me up for adoption. She was 26. With the options young women have now, this blows my mind; if she was working, she had to know something about her options, even if she chose not to get pre-natal care. As an adult, she could have "taken a vacation," given the babies up for adoption and been back to work the following week if she was that determined to hide the fact she was knocked up.

Infuriating and very sad.

[DamnPrecious]

:angry-screaming: I knew I shouldn't have opened this thread.

[NurseNell]

More proof that safe haven laws don't save babies.

My friend Marley has written a lot about safe haven laws. She has a 4 part series is here:

http://www.adopting.org/adoptions/a-few ... reiner.htm

Nell

[BoomerLynn]

Hi. I am new here (lurked for a while) and finally registered b/c of this topic. I read this and am both furious and heartbroken. 4 and 1/2 years ago I gave birth to twin boys when I was 21 weeks pregnant. They did not survive. This article really hit me hard. I would give anything for my babies to be here with me and yet this woman who was able to carry to term murders hers. I just cannot understand wtf is wrong with people. :angry-screaming: Anyway sorry for the rant just needed to get it off my chest. I look forward to reading more here and chatting with everyone.

[Kitty]

More proof that safe haven laws don't save babies.

My friend Marley has written a lot about safe haven laws. She has a 4 part series is here:

http://www.adopting.org/adoptions/a-few ... reiner.htm

Nell

Page can't be found.

Safe Haven/Surrender laws don't save kids, unfortunately, but I think part of it's because there's so little awareness. Becca Blackmore lived less than a mile from a fire station and could have left her baby there- or simply taken the child up to the hospital with her. I think the other part is mental illness. I also bet that both Becca and Lowe were in some way dependent on their parents, who would have gone ballistic had they known they couldn't control their daughters. I know Becca did not have a car or a license and neither did her boyfriend, and apparently she didn't tell ANYONE about the pregnancy and couldn't trust anyone. Lowe lived at home, she was in some way dependent upon her parents. Combine this with mental illness... recipe for disaster.

I also think it's the fact that mothers who do this just want to move on, as if the pregnancy never happened.

[Austin]

Welcome, Boomerlynn. Too bad to make your acquaintance on such a disturbing thread, but I look forward to reading your posts.

[NurseNell]

My friend Marley has written a lot about safe haven laws. She has a 4 part series is here:

http://www.adopting.org/adoptions/a-few ... reiner.htm

Page can't be found.

Weird. I'm on the page now.

Well, if anyone's interested google marley greiner safe haven. The first result pulled up is the above site.

Nell

[NurseNell]

Hi. I am new here (lurked for a while) and finally registered b/c of this topic. I read this and am both furious and heartbroken. 4 and 1/2 years ago I gave birth to twin boys when I was 21 weeks pregnant. They did not survive.

Lynn, that must be so hard, I can't even imagine such a loss.

Nell

[Bella99]

Re: safe haven laws, I have seen cases here in Houston where even when the mother surrendered the child, the media was contacted and an effort was made to find the mother. Those efforts would terrify someone who wants that badly to keep their secret.

Those poor infants.

[Buzzard]

I'd like to see the statistics on how many children are actually legally surrendered under the law. I would assume its VERY few. Terribly sad story. I'm quite sure the parents she was so terrified of are just pounding their heads against the wall asking her WHY!?!

[Belle0000]

So wait, she didn't tell anyone she was pregnant? I don't understand how she could hide a full term twin pregnancy. I've known 2 people who went full term with twins...NO WAY could it be hidden, disguised, etc. There's definitely more to the story.

[Jessica]

So wait, she didn't tell anyone she was pregnant? I don't understand how she could hide a full term twin pregnancy. I've known 2 people who went full term with twins...NO WAY could it be hidden, disguised, etc. There's definitely more to the story.

That, and nobody noticed she was in the bathroom for what could have been hours (it's not like they just flop out like in Monty Python's Meaning of Life)? Unless she didn't make a peep, could nobody hear the sound of a woman in natural labor (it's pretty darn loud!)?!

[BravaAmica]

That, and nobody noticed she was in the bathroom for what could have been hours (it's not like they just flop out like in Monty Python's Meaning of Life)? Unless she didn't make a peep, could nobody hear the sound of a woman in natural labor (it's pretty darn loud!)?!

Definitely more to the story. Her parents totally knew she was pregnant. Was she bog to begin with, maybe (and I'm totally stretching here) that's why- she could be big already and/or carried small?? Aw, hell, who am I kidding? There's no way to hide a full term twin pregnancy!

[SunnyAndrsn]

I graduated in 1991, and that fall a classmate made our local news for this same thing. She gave birth in the bathroom and smothered her newborn. When she came out of the bathroom, her mom saw her and knew something was wrong. She was pale, shaking, and had blood running down her legs. One parent took her to the hospital, and she denied giving birth. The other parent called the hospital because the baby was discovered in the bathroom.

I knew more details than most, because my ex-sister in law worked in the ER and has a big, fat mouth. She violated all sorts of patient rights. Was HIPAA around back then?

No one knew she was pregnant when we graduated. I don't remember exactly what crime she was convicted of, but she was in a mental institution for several years. She was working for a local church after she was released, but died in a car accident less than a year later.