RENO, Nev. — A woman in Nevada has pleaded no contest to attempted murder after she was accused of abandoning her newborn son in a dumpster. Taylour Sierra Dickinson’s plea, entered in Washoe County District Court, moved her case from a scheduled trial to a sentencing hearing, where she faces up to 20 years in prison.
The 24-year-old’s plea agreement leads to the dismissal of a separate charge of child abuse, neglect, or endangerment. Initially, Dickinson had pleaded not guilty to the charges, which arose after her newborn was found discarded in a dumpster on July 5, 2025. The child was discovered by a passerby who heard crying and promptly rescued him, prompting an urgent response from emergency crews. Authorities later confirmed that the infant was healthy.
The circumstances surrounding the incident emerged during early court proceedings. Reports indicate that Dickinson gave birth unexpectedly in her bathroom during the early morning hours on the day the baby was found. According to information presented in court, she initially used a towel to wrap the infant, placed him in a trash bag, and disposed of him in the dumpster. This occurred within an hour of the birth, which investigators believe took place around 2:30 a.m.
Witness accounts reveal that Dickinson had provided various explanations regarding her actions. Initially, she did not acknowledge the bag contained a baby but later admitted that she knew she had given birth. In interviews with investigators, she expressed a state of panic, implying she believed leaving the newborn in the dumpster was her best option in that moment. Furthermore, financial difficulties had reportedly contributed to her distress, with Dickinson indicating that her household was struggling and that she did not wish to have additional children.
In light of the mother’s actions, Sheriff Darin Balaam commended the passerby’s swift response, which ultimately saved the infant’s life. The authorities acknowledged that the discovery of the child in the dumpster could have had far graver consequences if not for the intervention of a concerned citizen.
The case has also brought renewed attention to Nevada’s safe-haven laws, which allow parents to legally surrender newborns at designated locations, such as hospitals and fire stations, within 30 days of birth. These laws aim to provide parents with safe alternatives to abandonment, reinforcing the importance of recognizing available resources during crises.
Dickinson’s case gained momentum following her arrest two days after the baby’s discovery, when she was originally charged with attempted murder alongside child abuse. After her no-contest plea, a trial that was initially set for August was eliminated, and her fate now rests solely on the upcoming sentencing hearing scheduled for October 7, 2026.
While the statutory guidelines for the attempted murder charge range from two to 20 years in prison, the actual sentence will depend on various factors considered by the judge. There is no certainty regarding the prosecution’s or defense’s recommendations, and Dickinson remains in custody as the legal process continues.
Overall, this tragic incident has sparked discussions about the critical need for awareness concerning the available options for parents in crisis situations, highlighting a system meant to protect vulnerable children while offering support to families in need.