NORTH BAY VILLAGE, Fla. -- An abandoned newborn baby girl was found in the bushes near a North Bay Village apartment building Tuesday morning after a woman went to Jackson-Memorial Hospital with heavy bleeding usually associated with giving birth, North Bay Village Police Sgt. Kevin Beaty said.

The woman, 19-year-old Lorena Godinez Perez, denied giving birth, denied being pregnant, or having sexual activities, police told Local 10's Kelly Butler.

Doctors, however, suspected she had delivered a baby. They called police and told them to search the area around the building at 7917 West Drive.

When officers arrived, they found blood in a hallway near the elevator. They followed the trail to a building next door.

Around 3:40 a.m., police found the baby girl in bushes near the building where Perez lives. Her umbilical cord and placenta were still attached, Beaty said.

Doctors said she was delivered full-term weighing 6 pounds and is 19 inches long. A 6-inch leaf was found stuffed in her mouth, partially blocking her airway.

Police believe the mother may have been trying to silence or kill the newborn.

"It was awful," Beaty said. "There's no other way to describe it. It was an absolutely horrid act that was done by a despicable person and hopefully they'll see justice."

The baby was hospitalized in serious condition.

Neighbors said Perez is from Guatemala and may be in the country illegally. They said she lives with her "extremely overprotective" father and some other men.

Perez remains hospitalized at Jackson Memorial Hospital. She is facing attempted murder charges.

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