Photo: Manchester NH Police / Courtesy
The adopted daughter of Hall of Fame Major League Baseball pitcher Dennis Eckersley has been charged with additional charges for allegedly abandoning her newborn in a New Hampshire woods in freezing 18-degree weather.
Alexandra Eckersley, who was initially charged with felony reckless conduct and endangering the welfare of a child, also faces charges of second-degree assault with extreme disregard and falsifying physical evidence.station WCVB reported.
The 26-year-old woman learned of the new charges during her telephone appearance Tuesday afternoon while she remains hospitalized, according to the news outlet.
Manchester police responded to a report of uA woman who had given birth in a tent in the woods around 1 a.m. Monday found the uncovered baby struggling for breath near the Piscataquog River, authorities said.
According to an affidavit cited by WCVB, Eckersley told police she did not know she was pregnant and admitted to using cocaine and marijuana in the days before the baby was born.
She also allegedly lied to the police about the whereabouts of the baby, saying that she had given birth prematurely.
During the arraignment, prosecutors said the baby, who weighs just 4 pounds, was intubated at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover.
On Monday, Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg said the baby was improving, WCVB reported.
“There is no excuse for this,” Aldenberg said.
“If you choose to live in the woods and you choose to live your life in a particular way, and you don’t want to accept our outreach that takes place every day in this city, and you want to live there and do that with your life. alright,” she said.
“But you can’t do this, what we’re alleging here. You can’t do this to a child,” Aldenberg added.
Under New Hampshire’s Safe Haven Law, babies up to seven days old can stay at any fire station, hospital, police station or church, the news channel said.
Prosecutors said Eckersley’s mother, Nancy, told authorities that she and Dennis offered their homeless daughter drug treatment for years, but she refused, WCVB reported.
“They had an open offer for her to come home on the condition that she go to drug treatment, and obviously she made the decision not to,” Hillsborough County Assistant District Attorney Carl Olson said.
Judge Diane Nicolosi said Eckersley could be released on a $3,000 cash bond, on the condition that she has no contact with the boy or anyone under the age of 18.
Police found the uncovered baby, struggling to breathe near the Piscataquog River when the weather dropped to 18 degrees, authorities said.
In addition, the suspect must live in a sobriety center, with a parent or in a state-approved residence, according to the judge.
Dennis, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004, played for 24 seasons, pitching for the Indians, Red Sox, Cubs, A’s and Cardinals between 1975 and 1998.
He earned six All-Star Game nominations, as well as the AL MVP Award and AL Cy Young Award in 1992. He was named ALCS MVP in 1988, before winning a World Series with the A’s in 1989.
In October, he retired from NESN after a 19-year broadcast career with the Red Sox.