During an initial court appearance this week, an Arizona woman told a judge that she did not know she was pregnant when she allegedly gave birth last week at a Phoenix-area Amazon distribution center and dumped the newborn girl in a restroom at the facility.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, 22-year-old Samantha Vivier was arrested on suspicion of unlawfully disposing of human remains.

She has been identified as an employee of the distribution center and a Phoenix Police Department spokesperson said investigators do not believe any other subjects were involved in the January 16 incident. Court records indicate a janitor made the discovery that evening when he picked up a trash can that felt “heavier than usual.”

Emergency personnel responded and pronounced the baby — who appeared to have been a full-term delivery — dead at the scene, as reported by the Arizona Republic.

Staff at the facility reportedly responded to a cleanup in the same restroom earlier in the day after receiving reports of vomit and blood in the floor.

At about 3:30 p.m. the same day, police say Vivier left work. She has since reportedly told investigators that she gave birth during her lunch break — at roughly 11:30 a.m.

The suspect reportedly claimed not to have known she was pregnant until the bleeding began and she miscarried in a restroom stall.

Though she reported gaining about 15 pounds during the course of the pregnancy, Vivier said she experienced no other signs and never felt fetal movements, police say.

As for why she opted to dump the newborn’s remains, the suspect reportedly told police that she “panicked” and attempted “to hide the birth from the father of the baby.”

In a statement on Tuesday, Amazon acknowledged the arrest of a suspect and called the incident “terribly sad and tragic.”

The company confirmed it would be offering “on-site counseling support as needed.”

Police say the investigation remains ongoing with the offices of the county attorney and medical examiner taking the lead.

[Featured image: Samantha Vivier, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office]