Riverhead, NY - March 2, 2017 - A maid arrested three years ago for causing the death of her newborn baby girl was sentenced today to 15 years to life in prison, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.

Santos Elena Ruiz Solano, 29, gave birth on February 16, 2014 at 3 a.m. in West Islip where she was employed as a live-in housekeeper. When the defendant sought medical care for bleeding at a nearby hospital she initially denied giving birth. The baby’s body was later found in a plastic bag in the garbage and given to hospital personnel who called police.

The Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner determined the infant was born alive and died from “blunt impact injuries of the head”.