Tara Tomlin, 20, of Livingston, was charged with second-degree murder on Saturday, a day after state police say her newborn son's body was found in a plastic bag in a trash bin outside an Xtra Mart in her Hudson Valley hometown.
Troopers said they found the body early Friday during a search that was prompted by a 911 call from someone saying he suspected there was a baby outside the store.
[Ads /]
An autopsy determined the baby died from asphyxiation, police said.
Tomlin was being held without bail Monday in the Columbia County Jail. Her attorney, Michael Howard, said she will undergo a mental health exam to determine if she is competent to stand trial.
Tomlin wept during her arraignment Saturday in town court in Livingston, a rural community of 3,600 along the Hudson River's east bank. She was employed as a cashier at the store known locally at the Bells Pond Xtra Mart. A store employee referred media questions to her supervisor, who didn't immediately return a call seeking comment Monday.
"She's distraught, she's very emotional," Howard said after the arraignment. "It's a tragic incident."