Authorities in Pennsylvania have arrested a 39-year-old woman after a harrowing discovery inside a home she had been evicted from just weeks earlier. Investigators say three deceased infants were hidden in the property,vone in a closet and two in the attic, prompting charges of homicide and abuse of a corpse.
According to the Pennsylvania State Police, Jessica M. Mauthe was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with one count of criminal homicide and one count of abuse of a corpse. For now, the charges stem only from the first infant discovered, but authorities said more charges could follow as investigations and autopsy reports progress.
Police were called on Saturday after the property’s landlord, who had recently evicted Mauthe, reported a foul odor while cleaning the residence on Oak Avenue in Cadogan Township.
The landlord told dispatchers she found a trash bag in the closet containing a towel-wrapped object that appeared to be decomposing. When authorities arrived, the county coroner confirmed the bag contained the remains of a deceased infant.
This grim discovery led investigators to search the home further, resulting in the shocking recovery of two additional deceased infants hidden in the attic.
According to PennLive, investigators uncovered two tote bags upstairs. One contained an infant wrapped in a towel and placed inside a trash bag, while another held a bucket inside a trash bag that also contained a deceased baby.
During questioning, Mauthe allegedly admitted to giving birth to the infant discovered in the closet approximately one year ago while sitting on a toilet.
“The child remained in the toilet for several minutes, during this time, she could hear the child making noises,” police wrote, according to Pittsburgh ABC affiliate WTAE. “Mauthe removed the child from the toilet, wrapped a towel around the infant’s entire body, where it remained until it stopped making noises.”
She allegedly said she then placed the child inside garbage bags and left it in the closet. Authorities say Mauthe also admitted to giving birth to the other two infants later found in the attic.
Armstrong County District Attorney Katie Charlton said further charges could be filed pending the results of autopsies for the two infants recovered from the attic.
“Mauthe is currently being held at Armstrong County Jail without bond,” officials confirmed.
The tragic case has rattled neighbors, many of whom are struggling to comprehend the disturbing allegations.
“Shocked. No one believed it. It’s just evil,” one neighbor told WTAE. “How can you plop babies in the toilet?”
