HILLSBORO, Ore. — A once-pregnant 21-year-old newcomer to Oregon who was found dead in a crawl space of a home had been cut open and her baby taken from her womb, investigators said Monday.
It couldn’t be determined if the infant son of Heather Snively died before or after he was removed, the Washington County sheriff’s department said in a statement.
A 27-year-old woman, Korena Roberts, has been charged with murder in Snively’s death. She appeared in court Monday but did not enter a plea.
A 911 call Friday brought emergency workers to Roberts’ house in the Portland suburb of Beaverton. Workers found blood on the floor and Roberts’ boyfriend trying to revive the infant.
Investigators said Roberts claimed the baby was hers. At the emergency room, doctors, who were unable to revive the baby, determined that Roberts had not given birth.
Police said they returned to Roberts’ home and found the hidden body. Roberts’ boyfriend is cooperating and doesn’t face charges, the sheriff’s office said.
A medical examiner said Monday that Snively died of blunt- and sharp-force injuries.
“At this time, it has not been determined if she died because of head wounds she received or as a result of cutting injuries she received to her abdomen,” the sheriff’s office said.
A grand jury will hear the case, the prosecutor said, and Roberts might also face charges in the infant’s death — if lab tests determine he ever took a breath.
“The issue is: Was the child alive at all at any point in time?” said Washington County District Attorney Bob Herman.
