Final autopsy report concludes newborn died by drowning

DANBURY, Conn. --A final autopsy report concludes that a baby born to a 17-year-old Danbury High School student died as a result of a homicide caused by drowning.

A preliminary autopsy conduced by the Chief State Medical Examiner's Office shortly after Panna Krom was arrested in January had concluded the newborn had drowned. The final report was awaiting toxicology tests which found a small amount of caffeine.

Krom's defense lawyer, Vicki Hutchinson, said Thursday the caffeine "could be from the mom drinking soda." Caffeine was not a factor in the baby's death, she said.

Krom, who was charged January with murder and risk of injury, has been held at York Correctional Institution in Niantic on $750,000 bond.

Police said Krom drowned her baby Dec. 28 in the toilet in the house where she lived with her parents. Hutchinson said her client has maintained from the beginning of the case that the child was stillborn.

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Information from: The News-Times, http://www.newstimes.com