Dead baby found inside plastic bag in back of pickup truck

KANSAS CITY, Missouri - Kansas City police are investigating the death of a baby found inside a plastic bag in the back of a pickup truck Thursday morning.

Officials tell NBC Action News the baby was found in the 11300 block of 49th Street, near Sterling Avenue, around 10:30 a.m.

Police say they received a report from a neighbor saying they heard 38-year-old Wanda Benenhaley give birth on Jan. 9.

When officers questioned Benenhaley's boyfriend where the baby was, he said in the backyard. That's when officers found the baby in the back of the truck. They said the boyfriend told them that the baby was stillborn.

"I was just sitting here watching TV when I saw police cars," said neighbor Matthew Long.

This neighbor said an elderly man and his two adult children live in the home. It is not clear if Benenhaley lived at the home.

The Medical Examiner's Office is conducting an autopsy. Officials say it could take a couple days since the baby was found frozen.

"I was extremely disgusted, extremely disgusted I mean how could you treat a life like that," said Long.

Benenhaley is in custody on a drug warrant in Vernon County, Missouri. The boyfriend was arrested and released Thursday. Charges in this case could come as soon as Friday.

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