Police: Woman watched her newborn die, then went about her daily routine

A Florida woman has been arrested and charged with the death of her newborn after she gave birth and allegedly watched the child die in the toilet. Law enforcement made the announcement during an emotional press conference on Friday, March 6.

Key Takeaways:

• Anne Mae Demegillo was arrested after police responded to a welfare check, and discovered Demegillo had recently given birth at home.

• The baby was reportedly born alive and crying, but Demegillo told police that she watched the baby die and did nothing to help after delivering her in a toilet.

• After the baby girl died, she buried her in a shallow grave in her backyard.

The Details:

Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Joseph Barile gave a press conference on Friday, March 6, announcing Demegillo's arrest and giving the details of the case.

Demegillo allegedly sent messages to a friend saying she didn't know she was pregnant but had given birth to a baby girl at her home. She also told the friend that the baby was born alive and crying, but that she had "done something" to the baby. The friend then called police and asked for a welfare check.

When police arrived at Demegillo's home, she was initially unwilling to talk to them, but eventually admitted what had happened.

"She advised them that she had been pregnant and delivered the baby and led them to a shallow grave in the backyard," Barile said, his voice shaking slightly with emotion as he went on. "During the investigation and detectives conducting interviews, Demegillo told them that she had delivered a baby in the toilet. The child had been crying initially."

Barile said the baby was a female, weighing 3 lbs. 6 oz, and measuring 18.7 inches long.

Demegillo first told police she had delivered the child into the toilet and then left, returning later to find the baby dead. But eventually, she admitted that she had watched her daughter die; this statement shocked some of the reporters present at the press conference.

Barile: She watched the child until the child stopped breathing and moving.

Reporter 1: She watched the child?

Barile: Yes.

Reporter 2: So - I'm sorry.

Barile: No, I understand. Trust me.

Reporter 2: She goes to the bathroom... I'm sorry.

Barile: She goes to the bathroom. She thought she just had cramps, pains, and then a child – she goes into labor and delivers a child. She sees it in the toilet, leaves it there, watches it, hears it cry, and waits until it stops crying and moving.

Reporter 2: She watched her baby die?

Barile: That's... what — it appears so, yes.

After the baby girl died, Demegillo put her body in a duffel bag and "went about her daily routine," according to police, attending classes at Daytona State College and even attending a theatre performance that night.

When she returned from the theatre, she buried the baby in a shallow grave in her backyard at around 10:00 pm on March 5. Demegillo is being preliminarily charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, a first degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

Barile noted that Demegillo showed no sadness or remorse while she was interviewed by law enforcement.

Zoom Out:

As was emphasized at the press conference, Florida, like many other states, has Safe Haven laws allowing a new mother to safely and anonymously surrender an infant, no questions asked.

“I want to remind our community, especially our expectant mothers: Florida law allows you to bring a child at birth to a local fire station, hospital or law enforcement agency and surrender the child," Sheriff Rick Staly said. "That is a much better solution than what we are investigating today — for everyone involved, but most importantly the infant who was prevented from the life they deserve." 

There is a fire department within a mile of Demegillo's home. There is also a Safe Haven Baby Box located at Fire Station 25 in Palm Coast, which is a climate-controlled box installed at the fire station which allows a mother to deposit her child from outside the fire station; when a child is placed inside the box, an alarm goes off, and the fire department can retrieve the infant from the inside.

The Bottom Line:

There is no reason that Demegillo's baby should have been left to die.