What a Mother Held in Her Arms as She Walked Up to Police in California Park Is Called 'Extremely Shocking

Story by the Associated Press; curated by Dave Urbanski

LIVERMORE, Calif. (AP) — Police were called at 10:30 a.m. Saturday on reports of a damaged Honda sedan in the Del Valle Regional Park east of San Francisco. They found the car abandoned with the engine running and an empty child's seat.

Officers were about to tow the car by 12:30 p.m., believing it was involved in a hit-and-run.

Ashley Newton (Image source: KTVU-TV)

Then Ashley Newton, 23, of San Jose walked up to them; she was holding her lifeless 7-month old baby in her arms.

Officers attempted to resuscitate the baby, but Chief Timothy Anderson of the park's police department said they were unsuccessful.

Newton admitted to investigators that she stabbed her son to death in the popular park, police said Sunday, and she was arrested on suspicion of murder. Investigators also found a knife in the area they believe was used in the alleged crime.

"This is an extremely shocking case for us," Anderson said.

Investigators continue to interview her family and friends in an attempt to make sense of the alleged crime. The motive remains unclear, but Anderson said Newton had a history of depression and appeared to have self-inflicted knife wounds on her wrist.

The stabbing occurred in a remote part of Camp Arroyo, the site of a popular children's camp inside the 4,400-acre park south of Livermore, a suburb about 45 miles east of San Francisco.

Newton remains in jail with no possibility of release on bond, police said. She is due in court on Monday.