By . Alex Greig . A Missouri woman is now facing a murder charge after having previously been charged with abandonment of a corpse following the discovery of the remains of a baby boy in a cave in Missouri. Latasha Wilson, 19, admitted to police that she gave birth to a baby boy on or around January 29 but that she and another man, Zakary Carter, 20, discovered that the baby was deceased a short time after. The pair dumped the body in a cave without seeking medical attention for the baby. Later, Carter allegedly returned and tried to burn the body. Drowning death: Police say Latasha Wilson gave birth in a toilet and left her baby to drown in the water before dumping his body in a cave . Grim discovery: The baby's badly decomposed and burnt body was found in a cave in Pertle Springs . Wilson had been charged with abandonment of a corpse, but following an autopsy, the medical examiner found the baby was born alive and that he drew breath before he died. Prosecutors say the baby was born alive in a toilet and that Wilson waited too long to remove him from the water, reports Fox 4. Tampering: Prosecutors say Zakary Carter and Latasha Wilson dumped Wilson's baby boy's body in a cave, and that Carter later returned and set the body alight to try and destroy the evidence . He ultimately drowned. 'There was a lot of degradation done, decomposition of the body. He was set on fire. A lot of different body parts had to be sent off for analysis,' Johnson County, prosecutor Lynn Stoppy told Fox 4. 'He was born alive, and but for the actions or potentially inactions of this woman, he would be alive today,' she said. The baby boy's body was discovered on March 4 by two biology students from the University of Central Missouri, where Wilson is also a student, doing work at Pertle Springs, a recreational area owned by the university. According to court documents, Wilson admitted to giving birth to the baby boy in the bathroom at Walmart, her place of employment. She stayed there for about three hours before wrapping him in paper towels and carrying him out of the bathroom and placing him inside her locker. She said that both she and Carter had realized the baby was dead after he was born, and they then took his body to the cave and left it there. It is unknown who the baby's father was, but Fox 4 reports the baby was Caucasian. Shocked community: Latasha Wilson was a student at the University of Central Missouri, which owns the land on which she allegedly dumped her dead son's body . Carter later returned and tried to burn the body in an attempt to destroy the evidence, say prosecutors. He has been charged with tampering with physical evidence. It is unclear if he will face further charges relating to the infant's death. If Wilson is convicted of the second-degree murder charge she faces up to 30 years in prison.
Latasha Wilson, 19, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of her baby son .
Wilson had previously been charged with abandonment of a corpse after the baby's body was found in a cave .
An autopsy revealed that the baby was born alive and drew breaths before his death .
Prosecutors contend that Wilson gave birth in a toilet at work and waited too long before removing the baby from the water and he drowned .
Wilson then wrapped him in paper towels and put him in her locker .
WIlson and Zakary Carter later dumped his body in a cave .
Carter later returned and tried to burn the corpse to hide evidence, say prosecutors .
By . Alex Greig . A Missouri woman is now facing a murder charge after having previously been charged with abandonment of a corpse following the discovery of the remains of a baby boy in a cave in Missouri. Latasha Wilson, 19, admitted to police that she gave birth to a baby boy on or around January 29 but that she and another man, Zakary Carter, 20, discovered that the baby was deceased a short time after. The pair dumped the body in a cave without seeking medical attention for the baby. Later, Carter allegedly returned and tried to burn the body. Drowning death: Police say Latasha Wilson gave birth in a toilet and left her baby to drown in the water before dumping his body in a cave . Grim discovery: The baby's badly decomposed and burnt body was found in a cave in Pertle Springs . Wilson had been charged with abandonment of a corpse, but following an autopsy, the medical examiner found the baby was born alive and that he drew breath before he died. Prosecutors say the baby was born alive in a toilet and that Wilson waited too long to remove him from the water, reports Fox 4. Tampering: Prosecutors say Zakary Carter and Latasha Wilson dumped Wilson's baby boy's body in a cave, and that Carter later returned and set the body alight to try and destroy the evidence . He ultimately drowned. 'There was a lot of degradation done, decomposition of the body. He was set on fire. A lot of different body parts had to be sent off for analysis,' Johnson County, prosecutor Lynn Stoppy told Fox 4. 'He was born alive, and but for the actions or potentially inactions of this woman, he would be alive today,' she said. The baby boy's body was discovered on March 4 by two biology students from the University of Central Missouri, where Wilson is also a student, doing work at Pertle Springs, a recreational area owned by the university. According to court documents, Wilson admitted to giving birth to the baby boy in the bathroom at Walmart, her place of employment. She stayed there for about three hours before wrapping him in paper towels and carrying him out of the bathroom and placing him inside her locker. She said that both she and Carter had realized the baby was dead after he was born, and they then took his body to the cave and left it there. It is unknown who the baby's father was, but Fox 4 reports the baby was Caucasian. Shocked community: Latasha Wilson was a student at the University of Central Missouri, which owns the land on which she allegedly dumped her dead son's body . Carter later returned and tried to burn the body in an attempt to destroy the evidence, say prosecutors. He has been charged with tampering with physical evidence. It is unclear if he will face further charges relating to the infant's death. If Wilson is convicted of the second-degree murder charge she faces up to 30 years in prison.
murder charge after having previously been charged with abandonment of a corpse following and tried to burn the body. Drowning death: Police say Latasha Wilson gave birth in a toilet and left her baby to drown in the water before dumping his body in a cave . Grim discovery: The baby's badly decomposed and burnt body was found the baby was born alive and that he drew breath alive in a toilet and that Wilson waited too long Tampering: Prosecutors say Zakary Carter and wrapping him in paper towels and carrying him out body . Carter later returned and tried to burn say prosecutors. He has been charged with