SELIGMAN, Mo., March 25 (UPI) -- A 16-year-old Missouri girl was held in juvenile detention Tuesday, facing a possible charge of killing the newborn baby found in her closet.

Police searched her family's trailer after she was hospitalized last week after apparently suffering a miscarriage, the Joplin (Mo.) Globe reported. A doctor at a hospital in Bentonville, Ark., said she might have given birth to a live child.

The baby's body was in a plastic bag in a closet, police said. It appeared to be almost full term.

Barry County Sheriff Mick Epperly said an autopsy determined the baby had been born alive and taken a few breaths. He said the cause of death was still unknown.

The girl appeared in juvenile court Tuesday, KY3 in Springfield, Mo., reported. She could face a charge of second-degree murder, a decision that would be up to juvenile authorities or the Barry County prosecutor.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International

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