A 16-year-old girl in Denver, Colorado, is facing first-degree murder charges after she allegedly suffocated her newborn baby by shoving a rock down her throat.

KMGH-TV reported that police believe Alaya Dotson killed her baby, Amekah Dotson, at her Denver home about an hour after giving birth to her on September 8. The teen told officers that she didn’t know she was pregnant at the time, court papers indicated.

Alaya allegedly claimed that she began to cough and sneeze when she looked down and realized she was giving birth. She then said that she was lying on the bedroom floor with Amekah and the “baby’s arms were moving back and forth, but she was not crying,” according to documents.

From there, KDVR reported that the teen said she dropped Amekah in the backyard when her mother walked outside and scared her.

Authorities revealed that the 16-year-old admitted to shoving a rock down the newborn’s throat after officers read her Miranda Rights. Alaya described how she “wrapped the baby in the blanket and set her down on the ground” after suffocating her, according to KMGH-TV.

Police also claimed that Alaya’s mother, who was unaware her daughter had given birth, went outside and noticed  “a lot of blood” on Alaya’s shirt and a blanket that was located nearby. The mother went toward the blanket but Alaya grabbed it and said she needed to wash it, police alleged.

The local station reported that Amekah’s lifeless body fell to the ground when the mother snatched the blanket from her. Alaya picked up the newborn and dropped her again when the teen’s mother ran to call 911, police said.

Paramedics reportedly arrived at the Denver home at around 7:30 a.m. and transported the child to the hospital. Though doctors removed a one-inch rock from her throat, the newborn was pronounced dead at 8:15 a.m. KKTV reported that an autopsy confirmed that the child died from suffocation.

The district attorney’s office announced that the teen will be tried as an adult on first-degree murder charges.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 12, 2018.

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