The death of baby boy found in his teen mother’s shopping bag during a shoplifting arrest at a Victoria’s Secret last year was ruled a homicide, officials said Tuesday.
The unidentified infant son of Tiona Rodriguez died as a result of homicidal asphyxia, a spokeswoman from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Tuesday.
The child was alive for less than one day, the spokeswoman said.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined comment on whether they’d upgrade charges.
Rodriguez told the Daily News that she hadn’t heard about the homicide ruling.
“I had no idea,” she said at her Brooklyn home.
“I have no idea what happened. I’m not allowed to speak,” she said when asked what happened to her son.
The teen mom, who has a 2-year-old son, was arrested on Oct. 17 after a security guard at the Herald Square lingerie store allegedly spotted her shoplifting a a $44.50 pair of skinny jeans.
The lifeless baby was found in her shopping bag when the pair were stopped by store security.
Homicide prosecutors had been probing the case since the girl’s arrest.
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