MANHATTAN — The death of a 1-day-old boy whose body was found in his teenage mother's bag as she tried to rob a Midtown Victoria's Secret in October has been ruled a homicide, officials said Wednesday.
The boy, whose mother Tiana Rodriguez was arrested with a teen friend on theft charges while trying to rob the Herald Square location of the lingerie chain Oct. 17, died from "homicidal asphyxia," according to the city's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office said they had been investigating the case as a homicide since the boy's body was found, sources said.
Rodriguez, 18, who also had a 2-year-old son, allegedly told a security guard who stopped her at the store, "I've got a baby in my bag," sources said.