After a teen was detained by security guards for shoplifting on Thursday, they made a shocking discovery in the girl’s bag: a dead baby. Seventeen-year-old Tiona Rodriguez (below) said that she miscarried the baby, but police think the baby was born alive and that he may have been drowned or smothered.

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The security guards that were talking to Tiona Rodriguez and her friend after they were accused of shoplifting at a Victoria’s Secret in New York City knew that something was very wrong when they noticed a strong odor coming from Rodriguez’s bag. After looking inside, they discovered a baby’s remains. The security guards then called the police.

Rodriguez, who already has a 2-year-old son, claims she was around six months pregnant and miscarried the baby. She told officers she was carrying around the baby’s remains because she didn’t know what to do. She says that the baby was born on Wednesday and made a Facebook post referencing cramping that day.

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Police aren’t buying the teen’s story, as the baby weighed more than eight pounds and is believed to have been born alive. Police suspect that Rodriguez drowned or smothered the baby. The NYPD is waiting for a report from the Medical Examiner’s office, so an official cause of death could take a few weeks. If the report is consistent with what police already suspect, Rodriguez will be facing a murder charge in addition to the larceny charge she and her friend face.

We've raised a generation of animals….Baby Found In Shopping Bag Was Born Alive. http://t.co/dgdou6wAlU #prolife #tcot

— Peyton James (@peytonjames) October 19, 2013

Woman in NYC gave birth to a baby and it was discovered in a shopping bag. Every headline refers to the baby as a 'fetus.' Why?

— KRenner (@KRenner2) October 18, 2013

Most of Rodriguez’s friends and neighbors didn’t know she was pregnant. “I couldn’t really tell because she’s a little heavyset, so I wouldn’t know if she was pregnant or that’s just her,” neighbor Ramon Acosta said. “She’s a nice girl. She doesn’t hang out. She’s always with her family and her son. The baby’s father visits them also. Everybody is surprised,”

One of Rodriguez’s friends doesn’t believe foul play was involved in the baby’s death. While she didn’t know the teen was pregnant either, Zami Ford said, “She’s a good girl, I can’t believe she would do that. She’s not a harmful person. Basically, she’s kind of person you can chill with. She’s a nice young lady.”

[Main image via YouTube; Facebook images via Daily Mail]