Washington County Sheriff's Office investigators searched yesterday for the body of a baby thought to be buried in the Athens Hocking Reclamation Center landfill in Athens.

The Sheriff's Office began investigating after a Warren High School student advised a teacher Monday that another student had given birth and then buried the baby in the mother's backyard, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.

The teacher then relayed the information to the principal, who contacted the Sheriff's Office and further investigation confirmed that a 17-year-old Warren High School student gave birth to a baby around Oct. 26, 1998, according to the release.

The Sheriff's Office received conflicting statements indicating the baby allegedly was buried either in the backyard or put in the trash, which was picked up by a local trash company and hauled to the Athens Hocking Reclamation Center. Detectives are investigating both sites, according to the release.

The Sheriff's Office is bringing in cadaver dogs from West Virginia Search and Rescue to help recover the body and is working with the Washington County Prosecutors Office and the Athens County Sheriff Department, according to the release.

"We did some of the preliminary work for them," said Athens County Sheriff David Redecker. "We made some contacts and set them up with the right people to talk to."

The owner of the Athens Hocking Reclamation Center and the mother's parents also have cooperated with the Washington County Sheriff's Office during the investigation, according to the release.

Although the mother's family has moved from the home where the baby was said to have been born, the current home owner has cooperated with the Sheriff's Office by allowing investigators access to the property.

-Michelle Everhart