The 13-year-old girl accused of putting her newborn baby into a trash bin never even knew she was pregnant. That's according to the family's attorney.
The girl was arrested for murder, and so far no charges.
We're not identifying her or her family because she's a minor.
Attorney Michael Green says technically she did commit a crime, but the best thing for her is to get a lot of psychiatric help.
The baby was found in a trash bin at the girl's home. Green tells me that the girl who weighed about 80 pounds never showed any signs of pregnancy. He says she gave birth in a bathroom at home, and didn't tell anyone.
Green says the girl then started hemorrhaging, so her mother rushed her to The Queen's Medical Center-West Oahu. Doctors then determined that the girl had given birth.
"So there was no baby anybody saw or knew about until after she was at the hospital. And her mother found out and the police went out and located the child. The child was dead," said Green.
He says the girl was scared and confused and didn't know what else to do.
"You have a little girl that's absolutely terrified at what she did, what they're gonna think about her, what's her mother gonna say? You start thinking about, am I a bad girl? What are my parents gonna think of me? This is the evidence that I was a bad person, that I was having sex with somebody," Green said.
He adds that the baby's father is also 13 years old, and whatever the legal outcome, it's important for the girl to get psychiatric help.
"I'm hoping she gets the right treatment that she needs so she understand that she's not an evil, evil little girl. That stays with her forever," Green said.
Green says the girl is back with her family and attending school.
There is a safe haven law that allows anyone to leave a baby alive at a hospital or police station without being criminally charged. State Rep. John Mizuno introduced the bill and says schools should let teenagers know.
It might be controversial, but he says it could save lives.
"If this could have been avoided. I don't think there's a mom or dad out there that would not say don't give that education to my son or daughter," said Rep. Mizuno.
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