22-year-old mother sentenced to prison after her newborn’s murder in Highlands Ranch
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (KRDO) - A 22-year-old Colorado woman has been sentenced to prison for murdering her newborn baby.
WARNING: This article contains graphic details
On Nov. 17, 2023, a Douglas County Judge sentenced Peyton M. Green, a 22-year-old, to 40 years in the Department of Corrections for the death of her newborn which had been found stuffed in a bag in a bathroom cabinet at her home, according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office (DA).
The DA says that on Sept. 26, 2020, Green arrived at the UCHealth Highlands Ranch emergency room with concerns over vaginal bleeding. The patient consented to a Sexual Assault Nurses Examination, commonly referred to as a SANE exam.
According to the DA, during the exam, medical staff found Green had injuries consistent with giving birth. Blood work also showed Green was pregnant.
The DA says that Green denied ever having intercourse or having a child. The case was reported to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO). Deputies discovered that Green had texted her ex-boyfriend, who lives in Colorado Springs, that she was pregnant.
DCSO Deputies went to Green’s home and searched the house for a newborn baby. A baby’s body was found inside a tan grocery store bag underneath a towel in the cabinets below a bathroom sink. The DA reports that the baby was found deceased.
According to the DA, on Nov. 16, 2023, Green pleaded guilty to Child Abuse-Knowingly and Recklessly Causing Death, a class 2 felony offense.
“This defendant attempted to conceal a murder by lying to her parents, law enforcement, and medical staff,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Gallo said. “In the end, the evidence is indisputable. Blood work, an ultrasound, and surgery to repair Green’s injuries confirmed she was pregnant.”
Doctors noted that during surgery, they found a placenta which develops in the uterus during pregnancy.
The DA says that an autopsy was performed on the infant and the official Coroner’s report indicated this was a live birth.
“Had this mother told the truth about her pregnancy or called for help after giving birth, this tragedy may have been avoided,” District Attorney John Kellner said. “There were multiple ways to handle an unwanted or unexpected pregnancy, but her selfish and deceitful actions to hide a birth by dumping her newborn’s body in a bag like a piece of trash certainly warrants a lengthy prison sentence.”
