By CARMEN LINDSEY

carmen.lindsey@gaflnews.com

ABBEVILLE — Sasha A. Wright, the 18-year-old Rochelle woman charged in connection with the death of her newborn son in March, has been granted bond after attending a hearing yesterday.

Superior Court Judge John Pridgen set Wright’s bond at $50,000. Clint Lott, assistant public defender with the Ben Hill County Public Defender’s Office in Fitzgerald, has been appointed to defend Wright.

A court date has not been determined and the case is still pending.

Wright, of 1059 Ashley St., was charged with concealing a death, murder, felony murder and first degree cruelty to children after investigators received initial autopsy results on her baby.

Authorities learned of the child’s death on Thursday, March 13 after being contacted by a staff member of the Wilcox County Department of Family and Children Services.

Wright, who had vehemently denied being pregnant and hid her pregnancy from her family, had apparently gone to the doctor in Rochelle inquiring about birth control pills.

Staff members there, who were aware of her pregnancy, questioned her about her baby and were told that she’d delivered a still-born baby two weeks ago at an Atlanta hospital.

When employees at DFCS contacted the Atlanta hospital, they were told they had no record of Wright ever being there.

Agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation were called in to help assist with the case and Wright was questioned again. This time she told authorities that she had delivered a very small baby while sitting on the toilet at the home, and she had flushed the baby down the toilet. Authorities, however, didn’t buy her story and questioned her again.

Wright, who already has one living child, finally admitted to investigators she had delivered the full-term baby boy in the bathtub at her home. She said the newborn was “floating in the water” for about five to ten minutes, and when she picked the baby up, she discovered he was not breathing.

When she could find no pulse, she placed the baby’s body in a plastic bag and carried it to a nearby abandoned house. Authorities obtained a search warrant and found the baby’s body where she had indicated.

The infant’s remains were sent to the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta.