Pennsylvania mother charged after police find remains of four infants in closet and attic
Jessica Marie Mauthe, 39, faces criminal homicide, involuntary manslaughter and abuse-of-corpse counts; preliminary hearing set for next week.
A Pennsylvania mother has been charged after police found the remains of four infants in the closet and attic of a home she had been evicted from last month. Jessica Marie Mauthe, 39, was arrested after her former landlord alerted authorities to the property outside Ford City, about 40 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
The eviction, executed for nonpayment on Aug. 14, set the stage for investigators to uncover the alleged deaths. Brent Flanigan, the landlord, told WTAE-TV that he began cleaning the home after the eviction when he discovered a trash bag in a closet that had a foul odor and something wrapped in towels that was decomposing, according to an arrest affidavit. Investigators subsequently searched the residence and found the bodies of three other infants in the attic, housed in tote bags, wrapped in towels and inside plastic bags, police said.
The discovery prompted a wave of shock in the neighborhood. Neighbor Carmen Felix told WTAE-TV, "Shocked. No one believed it. It's just evil. How can you plop babies in the toilet? The girl across from here is a nurse, and she's sick. She almost didn't go to work today because she can't get this off her mind." Earlier this month, the landlord said he found the corpse of one infant in a closet while cleaning out the home.
During interviews with state troopers, Mauthe reportedly described the birth of at least two children in the past. She told investigators that about a year ago she gave birth to a child who cried before she held the infant against her, after which the child ceased making noises and stopped breathing. She also said that a newborn whimpered roughly six years ago before she passed out; when she woke, she found the baby beneath her and not breathing, according to the affidavit.
Pennsylvania State Police are handling the investigation. Mauthe was charged with criminal homicide, involuntary manslaughter and multiple counts of abuse of a corpse. She is being held in the Armstrong County Jail without bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for next week as investigators continue to piece together the timeline of the alleged deaths.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.