FLORENCE - A local woman has been arrested and accused of killing her unborn child, authorities said today.

Florence police said 30-year-old Jennifer Darlene Johnson, of 1796 Lauderdale 7, Florence, was charged with manslaughter this morning.

Florence police investigator Capt. Ron Tyler said Johnson, who was seven months into her pregnancy, was taken to Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield on Friday night where her baby was delivered. Tyler said the baby was deceased.

He said medical personnel at Keller Hospital determined that the umbilical chord had previously been severed while still inside Johnsons uterus.

Investigators believe the evidence demonstrates that the death of the infant is directly related to the intentional severing of the umbilical chord, Tyler said.

Police say the act of severing the umbilical cord occurred at a friends house at Cherry Hill Homes in Florence.

He said the case was discussed with the district attorneys office and a decision was made to charge Johnson with manslaughter.

Johnson is being held in the Lauderdale County Detention Center on bail totaling $50,000.