FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The mother accused of leaving an infant that came to be widely known around metro Atlanta as "Baby India" in a plastic bag in the woods in 2019 will remain in jail until her trial.
Karim Jiwani faces charges including criminal attempt to commit murder, first-degree cruelty to children, aggravated assault and reckless abandonment in the Forsyth County case.
She was denied bond in a formal hearing Thursday morning. She was also previously denied an initial bond in her first appearance before a judge.
The newborn was discovered in June 2019 after a family called 911, saying they were hearing cries coming from the nearby woods on Daves Creek Road.
Jiwani, the 40-year-old mother, went unidentified for nearly four years until a break in the case turned up DNA of the father - who was unaware there had ever even been a pregnancy, according to authorities.
The break led to Jiwani, who was arrested in May.
"This child was tied up in a plastic bag and thrown into the woods like a bag of trash," Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman said. "I can't understand that. I truly wish I could. I struggle, but I don't know how you can understand that. It literally is one of (the) saddest things I've ever seen."
In the previous court appearance, her attorneys detailed that she was a mother to three other children and had a husband, making her unlikely to leave the state. A judge nonetheless deemed her a flight risk.
Jiwani's attorneys argued the case was an example of Jiwani experiencing psychosis and postpartum depression in 2019.
The newborn, who gripped the region after her discovery, is now four years old.
Jiwani likely gave birth in a car and then drove around for a period of time with the baby before allegedly abandoning the newborn "thrown into the woods like a bag of trash," Sheriff Freeman said.
The lengths to which Jiwani allegedly went to leave the baby somewhere she would not be found form the basis of the criminal attempt to murder charge, the sheriff explained.
"Evidence also reveals a history of hidden and concealed pregnancies and surprise births in Ms. Jiwani's history," Freeman said, adding it appeared that Jiwani went through great lengths to hide her pregnancy with Baby India.
Freeman said despite the "inconceivable criminal act," the child is living a healthy and happy life.
The sheriff made sure to point out that Georgia has a "safe haven law," where a mom can legally leave her baby at a police station, hospital or fire station if the child isn't more than 30 days old. Under the Safe Place for Newborns Act, the mother isn't required to show ID and will not be charged.
It's unclear when Jiwani's next court proceeding will take place.