LOUISBURG, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina authorities say a newborn baby found buried in the yard of a suburban Raleigh home may have bled to death after a botched home delivery.

Franklin County Sheriff Jerry Jones said preliminary autopsy results showed someone may have cut the baby girl’s umbilical cord too closely and then failed to stop the child’s bleeding. But Jones says the medical examiner may never be able to find the exact cause of death.

Investigators say the baby’s 16-year-old mother gave birth to the girl late last month.

The case is now in the hands of the district attorney.

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