A former Starkville Police Department radio operator accused of second-degree murder of her newborn allegedly birthed the baby in a toilet and abandoned it, sources have confirmed.
Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the investigation, who spoke to The Dispatch under condition of anonymity, confirmed Latice Fisher, 32, allegedly left the live baby in a toilet at her home after it was born on April 28, 2017. Someone later found the child and called 911, the sources said.
The child was pronounced dead after arriving at OCH Regional Medical Center in cardiac arrest, officials previously confirmed.
A grand jury indicted Fisher on Jan. 5. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is the lead agency on the case, but its public information office has not yet responded to The Dispatch’s requests for comment.
Starkville aldermen on Tuesday fired Fisher in executive session. She was originally hired as a radio operator in February 2017 and her pay was $11.01 per hour.
District Attorney Scott Colom said he will not comment on the case while it is moving through the court system.
Fisher was booked into Oktibbeha County Jail after her arraignment on $100,000 bond. She was still in jail Wednesday morning, according to jail personnel.
Her court date is currently set for April 23.
According to Mississippi Code Sec. 97-3-21(2), second-degree murder is punishable by either life in prison, or 20-40 years in prison, depending on the decision of a jury at a sentencing hearing after a conviction.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.