3 people want custody of Mass. baby cut from womb

WORCESTER, Mass. — At least three people are seeking custody of a baby who was cut from her slain mother’s womb in Massachusetts.

A closed-door custody hearing was held Monday in Worcester (WUS’-tur) Juvenile Court. The infant girl’s mother, 23-year-old Darlene Haynes, was found slain in her Worcester apartment last week.

An attorney for Karl Whitney, Haynes’ uncle, said Whitney and his wife filed paperwork Monday seeking guardianship of the baby.

Roberto Rodriguez, Haynes’ estranged boyfriend, also said he wants custody.

The infant was found at a New Hampshire homeless shelter with Haynes’ former neighbor, Julie Corey. Corey has been charged with kidnapping.

The baby is now in state custody. A spokeswoman for the state Department of Children and Families did not return calls for comment Monday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A man who says he is the father of a baby who was cut from her slain mother’s womb said Monday that he wants custody of the baby girl.

A Monday afternoon hearing was scheduled in Worcester Juvenile Court to determine who should get temporary custody of the 4-pound infant. Her mother, 23-year-old Darlene Haynes, was found slain in her Worcester apartment last Monday.

The baby was found two days later at a New Hampshire homeless shelter with Haynes’ former neighbor Julie Corey, who has been charged with kidnapping and is being held on $2 million bail.

The infant is now in the custody of the state department of Children and Families. DNA tests are being done to establish paternity.

Roberto Rodriguez, Haynes’ estranged boyfriend, told The Associated Press outside court Monday that he wants custody of the baby and of an 18-month-old girl he had with Haynes.

“I just want my two girls. That’s all I want,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez, 24, declined to say who else may be seeking custody of the infant.

An uncle of Haynes, Karl Whitney, was seen leaving a Juvenile Court office Monday morning. Whitney would not say whether he or other family members are seeking custody. He said he had been advised by his attorney not to talk about the juvenile court proceeding, which is closed to the public.

Craig Smith, clerk magistrate of Worcester Juvenile Court, would not discuss the case, but said typically in such cases, a judge would appoint an investigator to check on the background of anyone who seeks custody. Smith said children generally remain in the custody of the Department of Children and Families until investigations are completed.

Haynes, the baby’s mother, was eight months’ pregnant. Her landlord found her body in her apartment, wrapped in bedding in a closet. The exact cause of her death has not yet been determined, but police said she suffered head trauma.

Family members and Corey’s boyfriend have said that Corey, 35, fooled them for months into believing she was pregnant. She later told them that she had given birth and presented Haynes’ baby as her own, they have said.

Haynes, who had three other children, had a restraining order against Rodriguez, who allegedly pushed her into a glass table in June and cut her arm, then grabbed her by the throat and slapped her, according to court records. Court records also showed Rodriguez was charged with hitting Haynes in 2008 in a case that was continued without a finding.

The 18-month-old girl is also in state custody. Whitney told reporters last week that Haynes’ grandmother, Joanne Haynes, is raising her two other children, Jasmine, 5, and Lillian, 3.

Whitney told the Telegram & Gazette that Haynes had picked the name Sheila Marie for her fourth child.