Police: Nevada mother attempts to smother newborn, says baby was ‘evil’

LAS VEGAS — A Nevada woman is accused of attempting to smother her newborn after a home birth, authorities said.

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Ashley Hollingsworth, 23, was arrested after the baby was taken to MountainView Hospital in Las Vegas at 12:16 a.m. PDT on Sunday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. She was charged with suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse, according to the newspaper.

According to Hollingworth’s arrest report, the child’s father told Las Vegas police that the baby was born at home and that “the mother refused to enter the hospital.”

According to police, Hollingsworth was located more than two hours later with severe injuries to her head and was “bleeding profusely,” KLAS-TV reported.

Investigators discovered that Hollingsworth had given birth in a toilet approximately an hour before they were called to the hospital, according to the television station.

According to the police report, Hollingsworth “had wrapped (a) blanket around the baby’s head and was pushing the blanket against the baby’s face.”

While at the hospital, police said Hollingsworth “continuously talked about prophecies and other religious ideations” to nursing staff, the Review-Journal reported.

While speaking with detectives on Monday, a witness said that Hollingsworth reportedly said there was “something evil” in her stomach that was “trying to kill” the baby, KLAS reported. Hollingsworth later told police in an interview that she believed the baby was “probably evil.”

“After seeing the baby’s eyes, smelling what she described as an abnormal scent, and the baby grunting at her, Ashley decided to wrap the blanket around the baby’s head,” Las Vegas police wrote in their report.

Police arrested Hollingsworth on Wednesday, KLAS reported. She is being held without bail and will appear in court next week, according to the television station.

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