More Felonies Against Mom Accused Of Leaving Newborn In Homeless Tent In New Hampshire

MANCHESTER, NH — A homeless woman accused of abandoning her baby boy after giving birth inside of a tent in a Queen City homeless camp was arraigned in superior court on several new charges on Tuesday.

Alexandra Eckersley, 26, a felon due to a previous drug conviction, was arraigned by phone from her hospital bed on second-degree assault-extreme indifference and falsifying physical evidence charges, both felonies, as well as misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct and endangering the welfare of a child. She pleaded not guilty.

Eckersley was originally arrested Monday on a reckless conduct charge as well as a Concord District Court warrant for endangering the welfare of a child connected to an incident in the capital city in November 2021. She failed to appear in court for that case in October. The new charges were issued against her were made between the time she was arrested on Monday and the arraignment.

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According to an affidavit, Eckersley called 911 around 12:30 a.m. on Monday to report she had given birth in the woods of Manchester. First responders arrived and met with her while EMTs provided aid to her. Police and firefighters began searching a wooded area on Electric Street for the baby but were unable to find it.

A detective accused Eckersley of saying she went into labor “somewhere in the woods” but “was unable to remember where.” After being treated, she began walking toward baseball fields in the area. One officer said, “it was apparent that Eckersley had no idea where the child may be.”

With temperatures in the teens, police requested a drone and a New Hampshire State Police K-9 unit to assist with the search. More officers, firefighters, paramedics, and detectives arrived to search with EMTs stating it was imperative to find the newborn quickly due to the freezing temps.

Paramedics accused Eckersley of saying she had no idea she was pregnant and felt she had to go to the bathroom while giving birth, the affidavit said. An officer asked her why she walked away, after giving birth, and she said she did not know what to do, the report stated.

“Based on (the officer’s) interaction with Eckersley, he believed (she) was under the influence of drugs,” an affidavit stated. “He stated that at times, Eckersley was unsteady on her feet and that she would thrash around, side to side.”

After an unknown period, Eckersley began walking onto a nearby rail trail toward the West Side Ice Arena, the report said. She said she was looking for her boyfriend, a man named George, who she recently began dating. Eckersley could not provide the man’s last name, but police identified him later. According to court records, the man in his mid-40s has not been charged in connection with the case but has priors dating back to 2014.

The detective wrote investigators believed the K-9 unit would be attempting to locate a body, not a live baby, due to the time frame and weather conditions.

At around 1:30 a.m., Eckersley was placed back into an ambulance to warm up. While speaking with an EMT, she said the baby was on the Goffstown side of the footbridge and should still be inside her tent, the report said.

Eckersley walked with officers toward the tent. An officer reported finding a placenta on the trail to the campsite, which was not far away. The baby was located inside of the tent, still alive and moving, the affidavit said, on the ground.

One of the officers noted a lot of blood in a bed with blankets and a trail of blood from the bed area. The tent, a tarp, had items strewn inside and on the ground.

“While on the scene at the campsite,” the detective wrote, “Alexandra allegedly played music from her phone and sang along.”

During questioning, Eckersley was accused of admitting to using cocaine and marijuana during the past two days, the affidavit said.

The baby was taken to Catholic Medical Center for treatment and then was taken to Dartmouth Hitchcock via DHART.

Eckersley, however, refused to be taken to the hospital or to be treated at first, the report said. After some prompting, she agreed to speak with detectives in exchange for food and a lighter so she could have a cigarette, the affidavit said. Detectives also accused her of admitting to cocaine use during the past two days. She said she gave birth around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, an affidavit said, but her boyfriend could not find a pulse on the child. The report said Eckersley left the tent and attempted to call 911, but none of the calls went through. The detective noted the couple ordered Chinese food the day before, and the phone was functioning at that time.

Eckersley said she and her boyfriend “agreed to tell the police that the incident occurred at the soccer fields so that the police would not find and take their tents,” the report said. The boyfriend went back, she said, to turn the heat off in the tent and get his tablet, the report stated.

When another detective asked Eckersley why she left the baby, she said, “What do they tell you when a plane goes down? Save yourself first,” the affidavit stated. After that, “Eckersley told (the) detective to ‘f--- herself’ and that she was done talking.”

Eckersley was taken to Elliot Hospital later.

Another detective spoke with a woman who had information about Eckersley. She claimed Eckersley admitted a week before that she was four to five months pregnant, the report said. The woman said Eckersley was referring to herself as “mom,” and they were in contact regularly, the detective wrote.

Police said the baby boy weight about 4.41 pounds, with a doctor estimating she was about six months into her pregnancy.

Cash bail for Eckersley was set at $3,000, and when released from the hospital, she was told to have no contact with her newborn and must check into a sober living facility or with a parent. Her father is Boston Red Sox legend and sports broadcaster Dennis Eckersley.

Eckersley was due back in Hillsborough County Superior Court North for a dispositional conference on March 8.

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