The mother and grandfather of a newborn found dead in a ditch in Iowa have been charged with first-degree murder, and court documents say they told investigators the baby was still alive when he was placed in a plastic bag. garbage and abandoned it.
Megan K. Staude, 25, of Norfolk, told police the child was born at her home on February 24, according to a police affidavit. She told authorities she put him in a box and gave him no care for two days before she and her father, Rodney A. Staude, 64, put him in the bag.
Rodney Staude also confessed, saying he helped his daughter dispose of the bag in a ditch near Norwalk, according to the documents.
Both Staudes initially told police the baby died on the way to the hospital after it was born, authorities said. Megan Staude said she buried him in a cemetery in Cumming, Iowa, but authorities found no evidence of a recent grave in the cemetery.
Law enforcement officers received a tip from Megan Staude’s co-workers on March 8, which led to the discovery of the body. On March 13, a witness showed authorities a text conversation with Megan Staude, in which the witness asked her, «Was the baby alive when you dropped him off?» and she replied, «A little,» the complaint says.
«It’s just a tragic set of circumstances on multiple levels,» Norwalk Police Chief Greg Staples said. The Des Moines Record. «That baby did not have the option to decide her own fate and now there are people in jail for it.»
Results of an autopsy are pending and the investigation is ongoing.
Rodney and Megan Staude are being held in the Warren County Jail on $1 million bail.
Authorities told the Registry they do not know who the father of the child is.
Iowa has a law that allows someone to leave a baby up to 3 months old in a hospital or health care facility without facing legal action.