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A 31-year-old Mountain View woman is facing murder charges after an investigation concluded she had killed her baby shortly after giving birth and reportedly discarded the body prior to the arrival of first responders.
Jennifer Tupper was arraigned last week on one count of murder and one count of assault on a child causing great bodily injury resulting in death. Both charges carry a sentence of up to life in prison. The case marks Mountain View’s first murder case since 2017.
Police and fire crews received an emergency call regarding the incident around 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 2. The caller, described as a friend, said Tupper had given birth to a stillborn child and needed help. But she was also told by Tupper not to call 911 or an ambulance, according to a declaration by the police department.
Emergency responders found Tupper bleeding outside of an RV, where she had given birth, on the 2000 block of Leghorn Street, but she reportedly denied that there was a baby for over 15 minutes, police said. She eventually disclosed the location of the child’s body, which was outside and wrapped in a sweater and a towel inside two clear plastic trash bags.
Officers concluded that the birth took place inside the RV, and that no one was present during the birth or prior to police arriving. Police said Thursday that Tupper resides in a mobile home on Leghorn and not in the RV where she allegedly gave birth.
Tupper was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, and police — working with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office — continued to investigate the death of the child. An autopsy revealed that the baby boy was born alive at around 35 weeks old, and had suffered blunt force trauma to the skull; trauma to neck muscles and brain bleeding.
Police said in a statement that the injuries are consistent with homicide. Tupper was arrested on Aug. 4 and transported to Santa Clara County jail, where she remains in custody without bail.
Following the arrest, Mountain View police released a second statement calling the incident an “unspeakable tragedy” that will have lasting impacts on the first responders involved.
“Those impacts may be easily recognized, but in truth they also gnaw deep under the surface,” said Sgt. David Fisher, who is overseeing the case. “First responders willingly risk exposure to trauma of all varieties to serve their communities.”
Tupper is scheduled to appear in court for a plea hearing on Oct. 27.
I remember reading the original article, and being afraid that it had been an RV dweller.
It’s not a good look.
So sad. Very sorry for the first responders.