Woman Allegedly Dumps Her Newborn Baby's Body In Amazon Facility Bathroom

A woman allegedly dumped her newborn baby's body inside a bathroom at an Amazon distribution center in southwest Phoenix last week.

Police arrested Samantha Vivier, 22, on Tuesday and charged her with unlawful disposal of human remains.

Police said the body of a baby girl was discovered the night of Jan. 16 inside the women's restroom in the secured Amazon facility.

A day later, police said they had found and spoken with the baby's mother but didn't say whether she was an Amazon employee in order to prevent her identity from being revealed. During a press conference, police said that they figured out who the mother was by working with Amazon.

The baby appeared to be full-term and was believed to have been born on-site, according to police, who said the Maricopa County medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

Peer counseling was offered to the first responders who found the newborn, authorities said at a news conference. A reporter asked if police could confirm that a maintenance worker found the baby but police declined to comment.

Vivier has been described as cooperative by law enforcement. It’s unclear if she has a lawyer who can speak on her behalf at this time.

Amazon said in a statement last week that the company was working with police to support the investigation and called the incident "terribly sad and tragic."

The company's massive distribution center on the city's southwest side is one of several Amazon sites in metro Phoenix.

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Under Arizona law, mothers can anonymously leave unharmed newborns at designated "safe haven" locations. They include hospitals, ambulances, churches, on-duty fire stations and adoption agencies. The baby must be under 72 hours old and given to a person.

The law, which was passed in 2001, also states the mothers who follow those instructions will not face prosecution.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Photo: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office]