By David Lohr

April 16, 2007

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OAKDALE, Minn. (Crime Library) —  The birth of a child is supposed to be one of the most significant events in a woman's life.  A blessing, if you will.  At least, that is how it would be described in a perfect world.  Unfortunately, ours is not perfect.  Often, especially when the expectant mother is an unmarried teenager, childbirth can cause enormous anxiety and fear.  Last week, a 17-year-old girl from Minnesota allowed those emotions to take hold of her sanity. 

Following the birth of her child, she stabbed her baby girl 135 times, snuffing the newborn's life out in a matter of seconds.  The question that remains is why?  Were her motives selfish in nature or did she suffer from psychosis or a serious cognitive impairment?  Those questions and others plague this case, which has left many residents of Oakdale horrified. 

On April 10, an anonymous caller tipped off the St. Paul police about a woman who had allegedly thrown a stillborn baby into a garbage can. The caller identified the woman as Nicole Marie Beecroft, 17, an employee of Cub Foods in the Sun Ray Plaza.  When police investigated the report, they were able to confirm that Beecroft worked at the grocery store.  According to the manager, she had called in sick for the past two days.

At about 8 o'clock, investigators arrived at Beecroft's home in the 1700 block of Hinton Trail N.  Her mother, Kari Beecroft, told them that she knew nothing about her daughter's pregnancy, and she readily consented to a search of the house.  When authorities went through the girl's bedroom, they found a box of adult diapers.  Beecroft's mother said her daughter had been using them because of heavy menstrual bleeding.

When questioned by authorities, Beecroft said that she had awakened at about 3 o'clock Monday morning because "something didn't feel right."  She said she went into the basement laundry room, placed a towel on the floor, lay down, and gave birth.  She said the baby was stillborn, and that she had cuddled it for about 15 minutes before throwing it in an outside trashcan.

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Contact  David Lohr at           crimewriter74@hughes.net

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