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A woman has admitted to giving birth on a Caribbean cruise ship and leaving the baby girl to die beneath a bed.

Alicia Keir, 24, from DeMotte, Indiana, pleaded guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in federal court on Wednesday and faces up to eight years in prison when she is sentenced in August.

She previously told authorities that she knew she was pregnant when she boarded the Carnival Dream in October 2011 to celebrate her friend’s birthday, but her fellow travelers did not.

Keir, who was 20 at the time, went into labor between ports of call and was alone when she gave birth to the girl in her cabin before wrapping the baby in a towel and hiding her beneath her bed, The Munster Times reported.

‘She did not move. She did not make a sound,’ Keir told U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano, as she added that she knew the baby was born alive.

‘I should have gotten help,’ she said.

A cleaning crew found the little girl dead the next day when the ship arrived at port in St. Maarten.

Keir flew home from St. Maarten after the infant was discovered.

Following the discovery, the FBI’s Evidence Response Team was activated when the ship returned to its Florida base.

A doctor found that the baby died from exposure and lack of care, U.S. Attorney Randall Stewart said. Court records show the baby was born without any diseases or defects.

Federal prosecutors said even though the baby died at sea they have jurisdiction in the case because of Keir’s Indiana residency.

Keir faces up to eight years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when she is sentenced on August 20.

Her plea agreement states that prosecutors and the defense can argue for what they believe is an appropriate sentence.

Source: Daily Mail