Prosecutor: Baby of woman charged in newborn's death missing

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - A 25-year-old Michigan woman charged with murder in the 2013 death of her baby girl gave birth to a boy last month who is now missing, authorities said.

Ingham County Assistant Prosecutor Debra Rousseau said Melissa Mitin of Okemos on Tuesday told an Ingham County family court judge that she "could not recall" where the baby boy is. On Wednesday, Rousseau told a Circuit Court judge the remark was "startling."

"We believe she is a danger to the community," Rousseau said.

Circuit Judge Jim Jamo ordered Mitin held without bond at the Ingham County Jail. She had been free on $5,000 bond while she awaited trial in the 2013 death.

Mitin's lawyer Frank Reynolds said he has "serious concerns about her psychological well-being" following the remarks about the newborn. Jamo has granted a request by Reynolds for competency tests, the Lansing State Journal reported (http://on.lsj.com/1AfCEFG ).

Reynolds didn't elaborate about his concerns. The review will take place at the state's Center for Forensic Psychiatry. Those tests, to determine if Jamo is competent to stand trial and if she can be held criminally responsible, typically are completed within 60 to 90 days.

Mitin, who had been living with her parents in the Lansing area, was examined at a doctor's office in mid-December, and it was determined she was 35 weeks pregnant, Rousseau said. An examination Tuesday showed she had given birth about three weeks ago.

Meridian Township police are working to help locate the baby.

Mitin was charged last year in the Dec. 26, 2013, death of her daughter. According to testimony in the case, she concealed the pregnancy, gave birth in a bathroom and put the infant face down in a wastebasket. The umbilical cord and placenta were still attached.

Mitin told police that after giving birth, the baby cried but then stopped breathing.

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Information from: Lansing State Journal, http://www.lansingstatejournal.com