South Jersey mother, 22, charged with burning newborn to death JANUARY 18, 2015, 8:43 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 2015, 8:45 PM BY JIM NORMAN STAFF WRITER | THE RECORD Print PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP — A 22-year-old South Jersey woman accused of setting her newborn daughter on fire and burning her to death remained in the Burlington County Jail on $500,000 bail Sunday, according to inmate records at the jail. Hyphernkemberly Dorvilier was stopped and held by neighbors who saw her get out of her car and light something on fire in the middle of rural Simontown Road on Friday night. What she was burning turned out to be her baby, according to Joel Bewley, a spokesman for the county prosecutor’s office. Dorvilier was charged with murder when her daughter died about two hours after being rushed to a hospital in Philadelphia. A neighbor, Dave Joseph, 45, told The Burlington County Times he saw Dorvilier set fire to something, then extinguish the flames with a bottle of water. He said she told him she was burning dog waste. But when Joseph’s wife took a closer look, he said, she screamed after realizing that the woman had set a baby on fire. Neighbors prevented Dorvilier from escaping. “It was just mind-boggling,” Joseph said. “It was a nightmare even if you have a strong heart.” Prosecutor Robert Bernardi said details of the baby’s birth were being investigated, and declined to comment on whether Dorvilier has a criminal record or has been involved with child welfare officials. Email: norman@northjersey
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 02:20:09 +0000