Louisville woman faces felony charge after police find newborn baby's body in trunk

A Louisville woman is facing a felony charge after police accused her of intentionally leaving a newborn baby in a trash bag.

Louisville Metro Police detectives arrived at an apartment complex in the 700 block of Zorn Avenue on Saturday just before 8 p.m. on a report of a baby hidden in the closet of an apartment. When officers went into the apartment of 22-year-old Daira Mejia Aguilar, they found a bag inside a closet with "possible blood and flies in it," according to an arrest citation.

Mejia Aguilar reportedly told police she had moved the baby, who was born on or about July 2, from the closet to the trunk of her car. Detectives reportedly found the baby's body "in the early stages of decomposition" wrapped in a blanket inside a trash bag located in the trunk.

She was arrested and booked in Louisville Metro Corrections just before 11 p.m. Saturday, according to jail records. Details on the cause of the infant's death have not yet been released.

Mejia Aguilar pleaded not guilty to an abuse of corpse charge during an arraignment hearing in Jefferson District Court on Monday. She is currently on a $5,000 cash bond and has been placed under house arrest.

Mejia Aguilar is set to make her next court appearance on July 16.

Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@gannett.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter