Student-athlete’s infant found dead

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A pregnant Mercyhurst College student-athlete passed a sports physical and was cleared to play volleyball two days before giving birth, police said Monday.

The 18-year-old sophomore, whose baby was later found dead in her on-campus apartment, participated in what police called a “light workout” the day before the Aug. 12 birth — even though investigators would later determine she was 391⁄2 weeks pregnant at the time.

“She passed the physical. She was permitted to participate in practice,” Erie police Lt. Dan Spizarny said.

Police would not explain how they believe she passed the physical.

“It’s still under investigation,” Spizarny said. “Like the questions you’re asking, we’re still asking them yet.” Police planned to conduct more interviews before deciding, likely late this week, whether to file charges against the player.

The baby girl lived for about 10 minutes before asphyxiating, an autopsy showed. Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said it’s unclear if that happened because the student-athlete put the baby in a plastic bag or because the child was smothered. Investigators may never answer that question, Cook said.

What is clear, police said, is that the student hid her pregnancy and initially continued to deny it to doctors and authorities even after a coach took her to the hospital for severe bleeding about 1:30 p.m. the day the child was born.

Police believe the baby was born shortly before the player went to the hospital, but they did not return to the apartment to find the baby’s remains for another three hours.