Evidence won't be presented until January in the case of a Springville woman charged with the drowning death of her newborn child.
Tifany Johnson, 25, appeared at a hearing in 4th District Court Monday. Judge Lynn W. Davis set a preliminary hearing for Jan. 12, during which prosecutors are expected to present evidence that Johnson gave birth into a toilet.Prosecutors say Johnson gave birth April 29. When paramedics arrived at the Mapleton home where Johnson was staying, they found her on the bathroom floor and hemorrhaging. Emergency workers also discovered a full-term deceased fetus inside the toilet, Mapleton police reported.
An autopsy revealed the child was alive at birth and died from drowning.
Johnson's attorney has described her as "intellectually challenged." She was unaware she was pregnant because she had taken a home pregnancy test and the results were negative, he said.
Johnson is charged with manslaughter, a second-degree felony. The complaint alleges that she was reckless in causing her newborn's death or that the death was caused under extreme emotional disturbance for which there is a reasonable explanation. If convicted, Johnson could face a maximum penalty of one to 15 years in prison.