Student allegedly researched abortion before killing baby

Erie police said a Mercyhurst College student accused of killing her newborn researched abortion methods on her computer before she gave birth.

Teri Rhodes, 18, hid the pregnancy from friends and teammates, told a doctor two days before the birth that she didn't think she was pregnant and did Internet research on topics including "what can kill a fetus," police said.

After giving birth in her campus apartment Aug. 12, Ms. Rhodes put the newborn in a plastic bag and left it on the floor of a bathtub as she showered, according to the criminal complaint.

She was charged yesterday with homicide, abusing a corpse and concealing the death of a child. Her attorney, Philip Friedman, declined to comment.

The sophomore member of the volleyball team has been living at her parents' house in Commerce, Mich., near Detroit. She was freed on $25,000 bond yesterday afternoon.

"The defendant made no attempt to seek medical care and even went so far as to deny to medical personnel that she had even given birth," investigators said in court papers. Ms. Rhodes "intentionally, knowingly, recklessly or negligently caused the death of her newborn baby girl."

The baby was full term, police said. A coroner ruled the death a homicide, saying the infant girl had been alive for about 10 minutes before being suffocated.

A short time after Ms. Rhodes gave birth, the volleyball team's assistant coach, Sarah King, took the teenager to a local hospital, unaware that she had just delivered a baby, police said in an affidavit.

Ms. Rhodes initially denied to hospital personnel that she had given birth, but later admitted it after being examined by a doctor, according to the complaint. She told police she realized she was giving birth when she went to the bathroom and saw the baby's leg.

Ms. Rhodes first told police the baby was in a trash bin. Later, she told them the baby could be found on the floor of her apartment bathroom.

"She claimed she listened and felt for a heartbeat but did not hear anything so she reached for a bag and put the baby in it," police said. "Rhodes then put the bag on the floor of the tub and showered."

Ms. Rhodes passed a sports physical that cleared her to play volleyball just two days before she gave birth, police said. She told investigators the doctor asked her if she was pregnant and that she responded that "she didn't think so."

A day later, Aug. 11, the assistant coach Ms. King asked Ms. Rhodes to get a pregnancy test, Ms. Rhodes told police.

On the day of the birth, Aug. 12, Ms. Rhodes went to morning volleyball practice, but didn't feel well and returned to her apartment, police said. Within hours, she gave birth, authorities said.

A search of Ms. Rhodes' laptop computer found that she had done research on the Internet on topics including "what can kill a fetus," "alternative methods of ending pregnancy" and "herbal abortion techniques," the criminal complaint said.

Erie County District Attorney Brad Foulk said investigators know when Ms. Rhodes conducted the searches, but would only say they were done "fairly close to the incident."