Philly woman charged after 4-month-old baby found dead in trash bag stuffed in bassinet while in her care
Authorities say Ebony Gee, 43, was caring for an infant in a Camden home and tried to conceal the death from the infant's parents.
A Philadelphia woman was charged with desecration of human remains after a 4-month-old baby in her care was found dead in a trash bag stuffed inside a bassinet, authorities said Tuesday.
Ebony Gee, 43, had been taking care of the infant since April at her partner’s home on the 1200 block of Lakeshore Drive in Camden, police said, when she suddenly refused to allow the baby’s parents or her partner to see him. Gee’s partner — whom police did not identify — told investigators Gee had sequestered the baby inside a second-floor bedroom and would not let anyone into the room.
The baby’s parents said they repeatedly tried to pick up their child — and sought to arrange home visits by child welfare officials — but Gee did not return calls or text messages, according to the affidavit of probable cause for her arrest. And when they did reach her, the affidavit said, she cited scheduling conflicts.
It was unclear why the parents had asked Gee to care for the baby or why they asked child welfare officials to intervene in the case.
While the baby was in Gee’s care, the partner never saw Gee feeding, changing, or bathing the child, the affidavit said. At one point, the partner said, a foul smell began to emanate from the room and spread throughout the house, and Gee asked her partner to buy carpet cleaner.
On May 19, Gee’s partner went into the bedroom and saw the baby dead — wrapped in a trash bag that was stuffed inside a bassinet — and called police, authorities said.
The baby’s body was decomposed, so medical examiners were unable to determine the cause and manner of death, authorities said.
DNA test results confirmed the child’s identity on July 10 and authorities contacted the baby’s parents, who live in Philadelphia. The parents, they said, told them Gee had been taking care of the child.
Gee was arrested Friday in Philadelphia and was being held at Riverside Correctional Facility, pending extradition to New Jersey, authorities said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Matthew Kreidler of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit at 856-930-5355.