This is so bizarre I genuinely can't process it. But yes, the mother deserves cruel and unusual punishment. Death penalty is too light.
The neighbors knew something was wrong considering the previous incident when she went AWOL for weeks. They should be investigated, there's no way they heard a baby crying for hours on end, not seeing of hearing someone enter/leave the house/apartment and thought everything was okay.
Should be a mental and financial evaluation before you are allowed to have children. Should have to be licensed with consistent reporting on the physical and mental well being of your children. We just let any savage animal have children these days.
Careful now, once the pandora box that is eugenics is opened we'll get to a point where a disproportionate amount of white people are allowed to breed.
I don't believe a society, a social construct should have the right to take away a life or to ban certain people from procreation.