SC mom gave birth to baby in toilet; child in critical, Rock Hill police say
A South Carolina woman charged with trying to kill her newborn daughter used a drug to try and terminate the pregnancy before the baby was born alive in a toilet, Rock Hill police said in court.
Jocelyn Byrum, 20, then failed to render aid or call for help afterward on Nov. 12 even though she knew the child was alive, Rock Hill Police Department Detective Tayler Englert said in court Tuesday.
She faces as much as 40 years prison if convicted after she was charged Monday with attempted murder and unlawful neglect of a child five days after the birth.
The female child was born at 27 weeks term and placed into emergency S.C. Department of Social Services custody, according to police. The baby remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Police: Defendant took the drug to kill the unborn baby
Byrum willingly ingested the drug in “an attempt to kill her unborn child,” Englert said. Byrum then took pictures of the baby and sent them to family members, Englert told Judge Shantay Greer at Rock Hill Municipal Court.
Burum told family she had a miscarriage before family called emergency officials, who found the baby alive in the toilet, Englert said.
Afterward, “Byrum admitted she took the medication to induce labor and terminate the pregnancy,” Englert said. The medication she allegedly used was described in court and arrest warrants reviewed by The Herald as a “uterine contraction drug.”
Further police investigation including a search warrant on Byrum’s cellphone showed she knew she was pregnant as early as May, Englert said. She searched for abortion pill information online, Englert said.
Days before the baby was born, Byrum told someone in a text message “my abortion pills came in” and the other person replied, “yeah, get it gone,” Englert said in court. The other person was not identified in court.
Defendant cries and weeps in court
Byrum, in handcuffs, was silent through most of the 20-minute hearing packed with police and social services officials. She did not have a lawyer in court and told the judge she would hire her own attorney rather than apply for a public defender.
But at the end of the hearing, she cried and then wept after Englert spoke aloud about the allegations in the case and Judge Greer denied her bail. Greer also issued a no-contact order that bans Byrum or her family from seeing the child as the criminal case continues.
Officers escorted Byrum from the small courtroom as she cried “Oh, no” after the hearing. She will be transferred to the York County jail pending further court hearings scheduled for January. A conviction for attempted murder carries up to 30 years in prison and the unlawful neglect charge carries 10 years for a conviction.
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 5:33 PM.
