A 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman abandoned her 8-month-old daughter in the woods with the hopes of getting “a fresh start,” according to police.
Jennifer Cutruzzula was spotted by a neighbor walking into the woods with her child, only to emerge alone. The neighbor called police and went into the woods and found the baby girl on a muddy hillside next to a bottle of milk.
“She walked into this area with the intention of abandoning the child,” said Alleghany County District Attorney Stephen Zappala.
Cutruzzula told police she left her child because she wanted “a fresh start,” according to a criminal complaint.
Authorities say the infant is fine after being treated and released from a local hospital. The baby is currently in the custody of Child and Youth Services, according to WPXI-TV Pittsburgh.
Zappala said the Pittsburgh-area woman will undergo a mental evaluation.
“I have never see anything like this. I don’t know how anyone could leave a child in the woods and walk away,” said Zappala.
