Mother 'killed newborn baby by putting him in fridge for three hours'

27-year-old later sought medical assistance but the child was pronounced dead in hospital

Five people have been arrested after a teenager was stabbed in Ipswich. (PA)

A mother in the US has been charged with killing her newborn son by placing him in a fridge for several hours, causing the infant to die from hypothermia and suffocation.

Angela Blackwell, 27, from the state of South Carolina, was arrested after officers found the body of four-day-old William at the family home in Chester County.

The mother allegedly removed the child after three hours and sought medical attention at around 8.30am, but paramedics were unable to revive the boy and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The incident took place on February 27 and police waited to conduct extensive interviews with Blackwell’s family members before making an arrest.

She appeared in court yesterday afternoon charged with homicide by child abuse, according to the Associated Press.

A spokesman for South Carolina police said: “We have the authority to investigate all child deaths in the state under our child fatality unit.

"We came in and assisted Chester County. They had already begun an investigation, so we worked with them."

Blackwell’s friends and relatives, including her father-in-law, have publicly protested her innocence and described how “she loves her kids too much” to commit such a crime.

The child’s three-year-old brother was taken into care by South Carolina Social Services after the arrest, according to the Rocky Hill Herald.

The motivation behind the incident remains unclear and Blackwell faces a potential life sentence if convicted.