Mar 18, 2014 1 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A western Pennsylvania woman who told police she was seeking a “fresh start” when she abandoned her baby daughter in the woods last year will serve jail time followed by more than seven years of probation, during which she cannot contact the girl.

Defense attorney Patrick Thomassey says he thinks Monday’s sentence of 25-year-old Jennifer Cutruzzula, of Wall, was appropriate given her significant mental issues.

Police say Cutruzzula dropped off the baby with only a bottle, with temperatures in the mid-30s and a light rain falling on Feb. 27, 2013.

A neighbor who saw Cutruzzula leave the woods alone found the baby crawling on a muddy hillside and alerted authorities.

Cutruzzula must serve up to 16 months incarceration, following by 7½ years’ probation. The first few months of her sentence will be in a mental facility.