Mother put baby in fridge for 3 hours, police say

A Chester County woman was charged in the death of her 4-day-old son, whom she put in a refrigerator for three hours, according to authorities.

Angela Blackwell, 27, of 534 Rose St. in Chester, was arrested Monday and remained in the Chester County Detention Center on Tuesday. She is charged with murder/ homicide by child abuse, according to jail tracker.

The infant, William David Blackwell, died from hypothermia with asphyxiation from being placed in the cold, according to Chester County Coroner Terry Tinker. The incident happened Feb. 27, just four days after William was born.

Investigators say Blackwell put her infant son in the refrigerator for three hours and didn’t seek medical attention until after she removed him from the fridge, according an arrest warrant.

Deputies responded to Chester Regional Medical Center on Feb. 27 after the child was brought in by EMS unresponsive, according to a sheriff’s report. The baby was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The S.C. State Law Enforcement Division is assisting the Chester County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation.

“We have authority to investigate all child deaths in the state under our child fatality unit,” SLED spokesman Thom Berry said. “We came in and assisted Chester County. They had already begun an investigation, so we worked with them.”

Blackwell faces 20 years to life in prison, if convicted.

This story was originally published August 23, 2016 at 7:59 AM with the headline "Mother put baby in fridge for 3 hours, police say."