Woman arrested in Henderson after being linked to dead baby

A woman was arrested in Henderson late Thursday after police said they linked her to the remains of a decomposed baby girl found in a yard in Santa Ana, Calif.

Michelle Pedroza, 20, was arrested about 10 p.m. on a warrant for murder, according to Deputy U.S. Marshal Michael Picou.

"She barricaded herself (in the home) for about an hour," Picou said.

Pedroza, who lived in Santa Ana until about three weeks ago, was placed in the Clark County Detention Center. She was awaiting extradition to California.

The baby's body was discovered earlier this week by a resident who noticed a pit bull playing with the remains in a yard between two houses.

Pedroza's aunt, Rosa Pedroza, said her niece lived in the rear house for about a year until she moved to Nevada to be with her mother. She said she never saw her niece noticeably pregnant.

An autopsy did not confirm a cause of death and officials were awaiting the results of forensic tests, said Cpl. Jose Gonzalez with the Santa Ana Police Department.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.