Honk News (Atlanta, GA) – A woman has received a 15-year prison sentence after the discovery of her newborn, found wrapped in a plastic bag in the woods of Georgia in 2019.
Karima Jiwani, 41, has been sentenced to 15 years of probation after her release, having pleaded guilty on Thursday, Feb. 13, to charges of criminal attempt to commit murder and first-degree cruelty to children.
On June 6, 2019, a child, later referred to as “Baby India,” was left behind in a wooded area by Jiwani. A local man and his two daughters discovered a baby in a plastic bag, tied up and crying, with blood covering its body and the umbilical cord still attached.
“They were sure that they heard a baby’s cry, which again, is just hard to believe that that could be accurate,” says Penn. “They persisted in searching until they were able to confirm that in fact, it was a baby.”
Nearly four additional years passed before authorities recognized Jiwani as the mother of the child.
A significant development in the investigation occurred in late 2022 when authorities employed cutting-edge genetic genealogy techniques to pinpoint Baby India’s biological father, which ultimately directed them to the suspect.
Authorities discovered through discussions with Jiwani’s relatives and acquaintances that she reportedly had a pattern of undisclosed pregnancies and unexpected births. It was also stated that she supposedly had been aware of her pregnancy for an extended duration and took significant measures to hide it, according to Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman during a press briefing in May 2023 following Jiwani’s apprehension.
Freeman reported that investigators uncovered indications that Jiwani delivered Baby India in her vehicle and spent a considerable duration driving around prior to leaving the infant behind.
“Shortly before the arrest, investigators had the defendant under surveillance, and at a local Walmart parking lot, she discarded some trash that contained plastic bottles,” says Penn. “Those were submitted for DNA analysis and came back with matches of two full siblings to India.”
Jiwani faces serious charges including an attempt to commit murder, aggravated assault, reckless abandonment, and first-degree cruelty to children.
During a prior court session, Jiwani’s defense lawyers stated that the mother experienced postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis.
Penn reports that Baby India is thriving. “She will soon be 6, so not so much of a baby anymore,” she says. She is with a family that loves her and wanted her. At the end of the day, it is a story that starts out very dark and awful. But in this case, it did have a happy ending. It’s a rough way to come into the world, there’s no doubt about it. But really, the baby was born healthy, no complications. And then she was discovered before anything terrible happened and then ended up with a family that did want her.”