No Human Remains Found Near Home Of Murder Suspect

After hours of sifting by hand through small piles of excavated dirt, authorities in Ocean City did not find any more human remains yesterday near the home where they earlier discovered a stillborn child and the remains of three fetuses.

FBI agents and city police said they discovered only the remains of two cats and a dog and some shark's teeth when they dug into the vacant lot beside the house of Christy Freeman, who was charged with murder in the death of the stillborn found beneath a bathroom sink.

Freeman, 37, told a judge Monday at a bond hearing that the case is not what it appears to be and that she wants to clear her name.

Police spokesman Barry Neeb, who estimated that the excavation would be complete this morning, said: "We're making good progress, but it's time-consuming work. Every shovel of ground the backhoe digs up, we've got to sift through by hand."

Investigators also continued to explore possible causes for the bruises found on Freeman's body last week when authorities began investigating the case.

Doctors noticed the bruises while treating her for abdominal pains and vaginal bleeding. They called authorities when she initially denied being pregnant despite having a placenta in her womb and an irregularly cut umbilical cord. She later said the child was born dead.

Police believe the bruising -- on her thigh, inner thigh, stomach, leg and forearm -- may be linked to the stillborn child and have called in domestic violence experts to look at the injuries.

Why the child was stillborn could be crucial to prosecutors' case against Freeman. They have charged her with murder under a Maryland law passed in 2005 that makes it illegal to kill a "viable fetus." But the law appears to include an exception for self-induced abortion.

Joel J. Todd, the state's attorney for Worcester County, said prosecutors believe they know what caused the child to die "in utero." He said prosecutors will have to prove that the circumstances make the law applicable to her case.

Investigators have not charged her boyfriend, Raymond Godman Jr., but they said they have not ruled out involvement by him or others.

In what police said might be a reaction to the allegations against Freeman, four vehicles were vandalized at the taxicab business that she and Godman own.

Glass was shattered on four restored old cars at the Classic Taxi office just outside Ocean City, said Detective Sgt. Mitch Frey of the Maryland State Police barracks in Worcester County.