Brooke Skylar Richardson (Warren County Jail)
An 18-year-old Ohio cheerleader was charged with reckless homicide after the remains of her newborn baby were found in her backyard, according to reports.
Brooke Skylar Richardson was charged Friday after evidence showed the child “was born alive and was not a stillborn baby,” according to Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell, reports Fox 5 New York.
The newborn’s remains were discovered last week in the backyard of her Carlisle, Ohio, home, reports the Dayton Daily News.
The baby’s remains were reportedly discovered because of a tip from a doctor's office.
The prosecutor's office is reportedly still waiting on the coroner to determine the baby’s official cause of death.
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Richardson pleaded not guilty to the charges on Friday.
Her attorney, Charles Rittgers, told reporters on Friday that Richardson is a “good student” who graduated high school recently, where she was a member of the school's cheerleading squad.
“She didn’t drink. She wasn’t a partier or smoker,” Rittgers said, reports the Dayton Daily News. “By all measures, a very good girl who helped children... She’s by all means a very good person.”
Richardson was bonded out of the Warren County Jail. Her preliminary hearing date was set for Aug. 1. If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison.
