Mother charged in newborn’s death pleads not guilty

CHARDON, Ohio (AP) — A woman who authorities say put her newborn baby boy in a garbage bag and left him in a wooded area in 1993 has pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated murder.

Forty-nine-year-old Gail Eastwood-Ritchey pleaded not guilty Monday in Geauga County to aggravated murder and murder charges. Her bond was set at $250,000.

A message seeking comment was left for her attorney.

Community members paid for a funeral, burial and a headstone marked “Geauga’s Child,” where gifts and flowers continue to be placed.

Investigators say Eastwood-Ritchey stated she hid the pregnancy from everyone. They say the woman, of the Cleveland suburb of Euclid, married the baby’s father and has three grown children.

Authorities say familial DNA ancestry from an online database was used to track down Eastwood-Ritchey.