Security guards at the Herald Square Victoria's Secret store busted a 17-year old girl after a dead fetus was found inside the bag of the suspected shoplifter.
According to the NYPD, a security guard spotted the girl and a friend pinch lingerie from the store on Wednesday, October 17, and he pulled them aside under suspicion of shoplifting. A strong stench coming from the girl's bag made the security guard more suspicious and he made the gruesome discovery - a dead fetus wrapped in paper - when he looked inside the bag to investigate further.
Several hours later, officials from the Medical Examiner's Office cleared the fetus from the Victoria's Secret store. Reportedly, the officials were seen "carrying out other bags of potential evidence." Police were seen investigating around the 50,000 square foot Victoria's Secret store that is located on Broadway at W. 34th St.
One of the girls, Tiona Rodriguez, told police officers that she had suffered a miscarriage a day earlier and reportedly, "she said she didn't know what to do." Rodriguez was apparently six months pregnant when she miscarried. She has another child, a 2-year old son, and lives with her mother.
Rodriguez has been taken to Bellevue Hospital for examination. No signs of trauma were found on the fetus; however, a medical examiner will ascertain the causes behind the fetus' death.
Per a police source, the girl was nearly six and half months pregnant, but another source revealed that she was "nearly full term" when she went into labor.
On October 17 night, 17-year old Rodriguez had posted a complaint "These Cramps, SON____" on her Facebook page.
Ricardo Salazar, Rodriguez' neighbor told police officers that he was not even aware of her pregnancy till the officers had interviewed him.
"They asked me if I had seen a lump or if she was recently was pregnant and I told them 'I couldn't really tell,' because she was always a little heavy" said Rodriguez. "But in a way, I guess she was."
Both Rodriguez and her friend have been charged with petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. She has not been charged with any crime pertaining to the child.
