Tullytown Mother Charged for Dead Baby in Bag

A Tullytown woman was charged on Monday with concealing the death of her baby boy.

Lorie Bendorovich, 38, is charged with abuse of corpse and concealing the death of a child, both misdemeanors, Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler told reporters at a news conference Monday afternoon.

Heckler said there is evidence that Bendorovich knew she was pregnant despite the woman’s claims telling police she was unaware of her pregnancy.

According to police, once Bendorovich gave birth at 275 Lakeside Drive just hours after midnight, she determined on her own that the baby boy was dead and placed him in a black plastic bag, court documents state.  Bendorovich tied the bag and left it in a trashcan in her bedroom before going to work, police said.

Bendorvich was  arraigned by District Court Judge Robert Wagner on the charges shortly after the press conference. Bail was set at $500,000 unsecured and she was released, but the terms of her release stated that she had to seek counseling.

The bag with the baby’s body in it was discovered last Thursday at around 11 a.m. by Bendorvich’s eldest son, reported by authorities to be a teenager. The 38-year-old did not tell anyone about the birth, police reported.

An autopsy appeared to confirm Bendorvich’s account that the baby was stillborn, citing the fact that the baby boy’s lungs appeared to never have been touched by oxygen, Heckler said. He added that further tests had been sent out and would take several months to get final word. The post-death examination also showed the baby was about 36-weeks to term, which is about normal.

Heckler said Bendorvich have “no clear-cut explanation” as to why she kept the baby’s body in a bag for days.

PHOTOS: Investigation Into Death of Baby Boy

Bendorvich let police into the home to search it and also allowed DNA samples to be taken from her after the baby was found, according to authorities. Heckler said Bendorvich at first tried to distance herself from the baby in the bag.

Police discovered the body of the baby and a detective even felt the head and tiny fingers or toes through it, according to court papers.

Once the bag was opened, the smell of decomposition filled the room, police said.

Investigators spoke with family of the woman at the Tullytown Borough Municipal Complex on Main Street on Thursday.

Heckler said Bendorvich did not appear distraught when they questioned her about the dead baby.

Neighbors and court papers confirm that the residents of the home were part of a multi-generational family. “Three generations live there,” one neighbor told LevittownNow.com

Law enforcement were spotted taking several brown bags of presumed evidence out of the home Thursday even. A search warrant filed by investigators revealed that police were looking for “evidence of birth.”

Heckler said Monday that the baby’s suspected father had been aware the 38-year-old was pregnant and even wanted her to keep the boy. however, Bendorvich told him in late 2012 the pregnancy had been terminated, authorities said, adding that they found no evidence of an abortion.

Authorities said Bendorvich did not specify what she intended to do with the corpse.

“I don’t know if she thought it through,” Heckler added.

Bendorvich’s two other teenage boys appeared to be “well-reared,” the district attorney said.

If convicted of both charges, the Bendorvich could face up to seven years in jail, however, Heckler said probation could be an option.

Related:

• Dead Baby Sat in Tullytown Bedroom for Days
• Police Have ‘Person of Interest’ in Baby Death Investigation
• Death of Newborn Being Investigated in Tullytown Borough

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