Woman Who Threw Newborn Away Sentenced to Prison

A Southern Illinois woman who threw her baby away after giving birth at a party has been sentenced to three years in prison.

The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reports the Jackson County State's Attorney's office announced Friday that 25-year-old Casey Parnell of Du Quoin had been sentenced. In March she pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

Parnell was arrested in December of 2011 after authorities learned she had thrown the baby away at a Carbondale party in January 2011. When she pleaded guilty, she explained crack cocaine was present at the party. She said that after she gave birth in a bathroom she believed the baby was dead.

Parnell acknowledged she took no steps to save the baby's life or seek medical attention for the newborn.