A New York woman has been arrested for burying her newborn baby in a shallow grave in someone else’s backyard.

The incident took place in Watervliet, which is a city in Albini County in the US state of New York when police arrested the dead newborn baby’s mother, who they named as Kyleigh J Sawyer, on 23rd November.

The Watervliet Police Department released a statement in which they said that they were first tipped of about the possible murder on 25th June.

They said that they had received “credible information that a newborn baby was buried in the yard of a residence on 13th Street in the City of Watervliet.”

Forensic police officers subsequently searched the yard and “exhumed several small bones from a shallow grave” which they said looked like it had been there for an “extended” amount of time.

They said that after the bones were analysed, they concluded that the “skeletal remains” belonged to a newborn child.

The police said that after an “exhaustive investigation”, they found out that the remains had been buried by the newborn’s mother, who they named as Sawyer, aged 23.

The woman, who police said was from Ballston Spa, which is also the state of New York, has now been arrested and charged with “concealment of a human corpse”. She was later released from custody pending trial.

Watervliet police chief Joseph L. Centanni, is quoted as saying: “although the investigation has concluded, the healing surrounding the death of this precious newborn will continue for a lifetime. Unfortunately, the particulars regarding this baby’s death may never be known but the devastation it caused throughout our community is unquestionable.

“The Watervliet Police Department will continue to work tirelessly to bring those responsible for these types of unconscionable acts to justice.”

The police she had previously said back in June when the investigation into the buried newborn began: “The callous manner in which this infant child was discarded violates the core of all decency and humanity.

“Abuse and maltreatment against children cannot be tolerated. Each member of the Watervliet Police Department, along with our law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to bring the people responsible for this criminal act to justice.”

It is currently unclear how the baby died and if it was stillborn. Police have revealed no further details regarding the investigation, including how they determined that Sawyer was their suspect.

It is currently unclear when she will face trial for concealing the baby’s corpse.