Politics | 01/08/2009 11:45 am

Lauryn Louise Last, 16, Allegedly Drowns Her Baby in Toilet, Dumps Remains in Garbage

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Lauryn Louise Last, at 16, wasn’t ready for motherhood, but that is no excuse for what she reportedly did to her baby boy.

Last was charged Wednesday with allegedly drowning her newborn in the toilet and then disposing of the remains in the trash. Authorities sorting through a garbage collection site near Tacoma, WA, on Monday, found the baby’s body among 60 tons of refuse. An affidavit filed Monday read Last, "put her baby facedown into a toilet and allowed it to drown for several minutes until it died. Then she threw her son into the trash can outside in a plastic garbage bag."

So, what does the mother have to say? Last’s attorney, Suzanne Hayden, told a reporter from a local news station that her client is young and was never given the tools to know how to handle pregnancy. Last remains behind bars. If convicted of first-degree murder, she faces life in prison.

With this latest news, the most recent statistics on teen birthrates rising is even more alarming. Teen birthrates were up in 26 states for 2006, according to just-released data. The reasons behind these increases remain highly contested. Some blame a more sexually accepting culture. Two popular movies were about unexpected pregnancies — "Juno," which was about a high schooler, and "Knocked Up," which was about the results of a one-night stand. Then, there are well-known real-life teenagers, who became mothers recently, including little Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin.

Read more about: Baby, Lauryn Louise Last, Lifestyle, News, Teenage Pregnancy

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By Jim Henley on 01/08/2009 11:59 am

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Ok how would Bristol and Jamie Lynn Spears be blamed for this? Not telling your young children, especially girls about birth control and unprotected sex and all that comes along with it, that is a parents responsibility. I think a problem in our society today is that parents want everyone else to raise their children…My Mom had the talk with me and my sister as soon as we started our periods. It was a 2 hour talk and man was it nasty yet very informative…when I first started having sex, my Mom took me to the Dr and put me on birth control. I know its not that easy for all Mothers/Fathers but to say that its celebrities faults or the movies fault… The movie Knocked UP, she keeps her baby & they end up falling in Love and staying together…There is nothing wrong w/ that movie. Now if she had the one night stand then used abortion as birth control then that is a different story…If I remember correctly they used protection but it didnt work, resulting in her becoming pregnant. She didnt drown the baby in a toilet and then wrap it in the garbage can and throw it away. I

By C Hardy on 01/08/2009 12:24 pm

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Cheap shot? Easy target. This story is depressing. How many similar stories that do not get public? Education is the answer.

By John G on 01/08/2009 12:26 pm

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Yes education is the answer but school are doing it or not enough. Now as a mother I have already started the sex education process at home. I’m not counting on the school system to do it for me. For me my parents had the school system teach me. So that meant I received minimum education in this area. Good thing I wasn’t into boys otherwise I would have been pregnant.

By Grande Camper on 01/08/2009 12:37 pm

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Debra…Horry to you for doing it at home…we had the hour long tape during gym class one day back in the 5th grade that told us about sex and the difference between boys & girls. Thankfully I had a mother who already did that for me. I now have a daughter and as my husband likes to say “with a girl you have to worry about multiple d**ks, with a boy you just have to worry about one” and I kindly tell him, yes and no…It is up to us as parents to make sure our daughter knows what will happen if she has unprotected sex between pregnancy & the STD’s. I dont think schools should have to teach our children about it, that is a parents job. I was watching this program on either WE or another channel and it is called Maternity Ward…the ward they were in on this particular day was down in TX, most of the girls they showed were ages 16 to 18…I thought how sad but then again how wonderful these girls were taking on the responsibility…its hard as hell and couldnt even imagine trying to do it when I was that age…yet my great grandmother had her first child at age 16…she was also married at age 14…they loved each other and was married until death. I just think its wrong to blame society or movies or celebrities…we as parents, as adults need to take on the role of being parents. Koodoes to you for being a great parent!

By C Hardy on 01/08/2009 12:53 pm

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Well, I’m the one who’s said before, if we’d re-visit The People v. Larry Flint, re-visiting Roe v. Wade might lose some of its urgency. And I’m not sure that a rise in teen-aged pregnancy necessarily translates to a higher frequency of teen-aged infanticide. But this incident is horrifying. And clearly the actions of a “damaged” child…’cause at 16, Miss Last really can’t be seen any other way. Where the damage began, or what it’s rooted in is a little hard to say from this distance. The parents, the home can’t be held harmless. But obviously, it’s more complex…in this case and all the others where children behave in violation of every human instinct.

By Ms. Dee on 01/08/2009 12:51 pm

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Is popular culture to blame? Maybe a little, but not enough to matter. Having a baby at 16 is not a new idea, but drowning and disposing of the body makes me think there is some kind of mental instability going on, either an extreme case of post partum blues or an irrational fear of being found out by her parents or others. In other words, a lack of moral support and counseling that a teen in this predicament would need. To do what she did speaks of some sort of desperation. Are parents to blame? If they are actively in her life, then I would say to some extent, yes. This is a minor child, and as I remember, parents are responsible for the safety and protection of their minor children. Teens can be difficult, but we owe them at least support and interest. A kind word, maybe. Pre-natal care. Are teen mothers not given the proper “tools to know how to handle pregnancy”? This so depends on the home life teen mothers find themselves in. I’ve seen 15-year old mothers who do very well with their children, mostly because they come from nurturing homes with parents who forgive them for their mistake, and make sure they get good pre-natal care. This is truly an especially sad story. My heart goes out to that young girl particularly if she’s been abused mentally or physically. Some children have lives we could never imagine.

By Marjorie C. on 01/08/2009 1:15 pm

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I’m with you on this, before I pass judgement on this horrible incident, I want to know more about this child’s life. Anyone who has been a mother knows that it goes totally against instinct to kill your own child unless other circumstances come into play, abuse, rape, mental illness. I’m not excusing this, i just want to know more.

By EKA - on 01/08/2009 7:43 pm

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I agree, there is way more going on here than just an evil teen mother, or irresponsibility, and this story is sad on many levels.

By DeBúrca obj on 01/08/2009 8:27 pm

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Before anyone can judge the parents one would have to know if her school provided sex ed as many do! She may have had the information and still had sex . I agree that mental issues come into play..as the pregnancy is one thing but the murder afterwards is a much more serious issue. Did her mother or family know she was pregnant? IF the father was into drugs was she doing them as well while pregnant? To blame pro life supporters is ridiculous!

By S.J. Morgan on 01/08/2009 1:34 pm

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SJ…do you feel its up to the schools to educate our children about sex? I do blame her parents for not giving her the support a 16 year old needs. They need love and understanding…remember when you were 16 and how your body was changing and how you had emotions that you couldnt explain…that is why having both sets of parents is so vital to children. Men can’t explain to daughters about periods and hormones b/c they dont know b/c they dont go through it. I dont know if anyone is blaming pro-life supporters…I think it is tragic this young lady felt she had to kill her child…why not give him up for adoption to a couple who cant have children? If the father was on drugs and so was the girl, doesnt that fall back on the parents not being responsible? We can’t rely on others to do the job of us parents…what if they teach our children wrong?

By C Hardy on 01/08/2009 2:24 pm

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C Hardy….Fathers are quite capable of giving the talk. My father gave me the talk when I started my period. My mother died a year before it started. He was an introvert, and it was tough for him, as he admitted when he started the talk. Of course there was nothing about the mechanics of sanitary products, but I got a talk that included a lot about the male sex drive, as well as dating, young love, sexual urges, manipulation, commitment, responsibilities, accountability and much more. He answered all of my questions.

By Denise W on 01/09/2009 12:12 am

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Denise…My words came out wrong and for that I apologize. If something was to ever happen to me I know my husband could give our daughter the talk b/c he asks me a lot of questions and I give him straight forward honest answers. I never meant to say Fathers couldnt do it…I meant more that they may not feel comfortable doing it. I know if it was up to my Father, I wouldnt have known anything… You Father sounds like a wonderful man and I am happy to hear you had him after your Mom passed. I apologize for how my words came out.

By C Hardy on 01/09/2009 6:38 am

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This is just another sad and pathetic story and although we don’t have all the details behind the story, I just don’t see how nobody would know this girl was pregnant. What just slays me about the whole thing is, this child was actually born a live birth. Why didn’t she at the least, drop this baby off at a hospital, church or anywhere where this child would have been found and had had a chance at life. It just boggles the mind!

By HA BIBI on 01/08/2009 2:37 pm

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I have to agree with you, Elaine. Where are her parents? How did they not know the girl was pregnant? My mother kept an eye on us. I couldn’t have gotten away with eating cookies and reading in bed with a flashlight let alone be pregnant without my mother knowing! There was a calendar in her desk that had all of our periods marked so we could expect them and be prepared. We were informed about all the aspects of what sex could bring about. Also, in this state, WA, you can take a baby to a hospital, a fire station, no questions asked. It is in place just so these things don’t take place. To drown a live birth, there has to be some severe mental illness involved. I think by 16, someone should understand the concept of a live birth and the time it would take to drown that newborn, good Lord … My mind is boggled, too.

By M L Staats on 01/09/2009 2:11 am