A Thai masseuse is facing child-abandonment charges after giving birth in a police station bathroom last week and abandoning the newborn in a toilet before fleeing.
The arrest of 43-year-old Bussaba Somfoo follows the discovery of a baby girl left inside a toilet in one of the stalls at the Mueang Chiang Mai police station in the wee hours of last Monday morning.
Muang Chiang Mai Police Station Deputy Chief of Investigation Capt. Kasemsit Tohgun said officials were able to track the perpetrator down at her home after inspecting footage from multiple CCTV cameras in use that night.
According to police, Bussaba is an employee at a massage store located near the police station.
Bussaba said she decided to use the restroom at the police precinct at about 10pm after experiencing stomach pains she attributed to food poisoning while giving a customer a massage prior to the incident.
Kasemsit added that it is not unusual for employees of that massage parlor to use the station’s bathroom given their close proximity.
However, 10 minutes after sitting down, she says, her water broke, and in short order, she had given birth. Panicked, she then cleaned herself up and left the station, leaving the newborn inside the toilet.
The entire ordeal lasted no more than 20 minutes, she said.
Bussaba told police she decided to abandon the child because she was not ready to start a family. She was reportedly extremely stressed by the fact her husband allegedly had no interest in taking care of a child and did not support the pregnancy.
The masseuse is currently facing charges for abandoning a child under 9-years-old to flee from caregiving responsibilities, reported Manager.
Meanwhile, the newborn’s condition is reportedly no longer critical, though she still needs to receive treatment and close monitoring from doctors at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital.
Police said they are coordinating with social workers and Viengping Children’s House, a home for orphaned or abandoned children in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district, about taking in the newborn.
Editor’s note: Though we originally reported that the newborn was found atop the toilet seat, subsequent information obtained from police revealed that the the baby girl was actually found inside the toilet.
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Thai woman gives birth in police station bathroom, abandons it on toilet seat
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