ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke woman who police say they found at Tanglewood Mall with a dead baby in a shopping bag appeared in court on Thursday.
34-year-old Mandy Lacey has been charged with felony assault of a police officer and public intoxication. Warrants show that in addition to the charge for assaulting an officer, she could be facing additional, pending charges, including murder.
In court, the Commonwealth requested a competency evaluation, which Lacey fought.
“I don’t request the competency thing I deny that,” Lacey said in court.
According to the warrant, the dead baby was found wrapped in a jacket in a small grocery bag that Lacey had been carrying. She was arrested for assault on police and drunk in public.
Authorities requested Lacey’s DNA in order to determine if the dead baby was her child.
Roanoke County officials said Tuesday that the baby’s body was partially decomposed, making identification difficult. Authorities are awaiting the medical examiner’s findings.
Lacey’s next court date is scheduled for Oct. 21.