Brittany C. Smith, 19, has been charged with child abuse after she put her eight-month-old baby in an unused freezer in Tennessee

A Tennessee teenage mother accused of putting her eight-month-old baby into a freezer has been charged with child abuse.

Authorities said 19-year-old Brittany C. Smith placed the infant in a freezer and closed the lid last week on a stranger's property in Johnson City.

The unused freezer was in the backyard of a home at the time.

A witness told police they saw Smith holding a small child next to the freezer in their backyard, according to an affidavit obtained by WJHL-TV.

The resident went outside to speak to Smith and found her hiding in the crawlspace under their home.

The baby was found in the freezer, which had about an inch of standing water inside.

The unused freezer was in the backyard of a stranger's home at the time. The baby was found in the freezer, which had about an inch of standing water inside

A witness told police they saw Smith holding a small child next to the freezer in their backyard. The resident went outside to speak to Smith and found her hiding in the crawlspace under their home

It is not clear how long the baby was in the freezer.

The baby was taken to a hospital, but no condition has been released.

Smith was also charged with neglect and burglary.

It's unclear if she has a lawyer who could comment.