Woman charged after remains of four infants found in Pennsylvania home

A Pennsylvania woman is facing criminal charges after police found the remains of four deceased infants in the home where she had been living.

Key Takeaways:

• Jessica Mauthe of Pennsylvania faces criminal charges over the remains of four infants in the home where she used to live.

• Mauthe has reportedly admitted that at least two of the infants were born alive.

• Autopsies are being performed on the remains, and additional charges are expected.

The Details:

Jessica Marie Mauthe, 39, has been arrested and charged with criminal homicide, involuntary manslaughter, and multiple counts of abuse of a corpse after her landlord discovered the remains of several infants while cleaning out a closet in the home.

The situation unfolded after Mauthe's landlord, Brent Flanigan, evicted her in August for non-payment. According to the arrest affidavit, Flanigan was cleaning out the Cadogan Township, Pennsylvania home on September 13, when he came across a trash bag in a closet that had a foul odor; something inside the bag was wrapped in towels and was decomposing.

Police investigated and determined that the decomposing matter was the body of an infant. Three more infants were found wrapped in a similar fashion inside storage totes in the home's attic.

Mauthe reportedly told police she gave birth to one of the infants last year, then held it "against her, where it remained until it stopped making noises and stopped breathing," which may describe intentional suffocation.

She told investigators she gave birth to a second infant about six years ago on the floor of her home, and she heard the baby "whimper." After the birth, she said she passed out and when she awoke, the child was not breathing. According to WTAE, she also admitted to giving birth to the other two infants, but it is unknown whether they were born alive or stillborn.

Neighbors expressed shock at the incident, noting that Mauthe had two children, ages six and eight, living with her. However, they were never aware of her being pregnant.

The Indiana County Coroner's Office is performing autopsies on the remains, and the investigation is ongoing. More charges are expected to be filed.

Why It Matters:

The horrifying discovery of Mauthe's dead infants comes at a time when several shocking stories of infant abandonment have entered the news cycle.

Earlier this week, an infant was pulled alive from a Texas dumpster. In Iowa, a mother and her father were sentenced this week for leaving a living newborn baby in a ditch to die. Last month, a college student was arrested after authorities found the body of a dead baby in her home closet.

In every state, there is an option for parents who feel unwilling or unable to care for their newborn to surrender the child to authorities. In Pennsylvania, the safe haven law allows a parent to bring a newborn up to 28 days old to any hospital, a police officer at a police station, or an emergency services provider at an EMS station.