A mother from Tonawanda has been arrested for allegedly causing the death of her newborn child after giving birth inside her home in Oct. 2020.
Andee Wright, 30, from the town of Tonawanda on Tuesday was charged with two counts of second-degree murder (Class “A-I” felonies) and was arraigned in the Erie County Court, according to the Erie District Attorney's Office.
As part of John J. Flynn, District Attorney (DA) for Erie County’s report, it is said that Wright, all by herself, gave birth to a 38-week-old baby boy inside her home on Eggert Road in the town of Tonawanda on Oct. 5, 2020, between 2:30 am and 3:15 am. It was reported that Wright, the infant’s own mother was responsible for his death.
Wright is accused of hitting the newborn at least twice, which caused a fracture in the baby’s skull resulting in his apparent death. Later that morning, she was found in distress inside her home by her boyfriend. The man immediately called 911. Officers arrived at the scene and upon further investigation, they found the deceased baby boy inside a trash can in the home's basement, as added by the district attorney's office.
An apparent blunt force trauma focally penetrating the child’s head was found as the cause of death based on reports from the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Investigators from the Town of Tonawanda Police Department were praised by DA Flynn for their work in the investigation.
Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan set the bond at $75,000 even though the district attorney from Erie County had requested that the defendant should be held without bail. Assistant District Attorney Ryan D. Haggerty of the Homicide Unit and Assistant District Attorney Rebecca L. Schnirel of the Domestic Violence/Special Victims Bureau are prosecuting the case.
As of this time, a return court date has not been scheduled. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty of any crime in a court of law. Wright, however, faces a maximum of 25 years life sentence in prison if convicted of all the charges.
