Pennsylvania mother arrested after police make horrifying discovery in closet

A Pennsylvania woman faces charges after police found the remains of her four infants in the closet and attic of a home she was evicted from last month.

Jessica Marie Mauthe, 39, was apprehended following a call from her former landlord to police about the home she had occupied near Ford City, approximately 40 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

The landlord, Brent Flanigan, told WTAE-TV that he had law enforcement evict Mauthe for nonpayment on Aug. 14. 

The landlord began cleaning the property and discovered a trash bag in a closet emitting a foul odor; inside, something wrapped in towels was decomposing, as detailed in the arrest affidavit issued Thursday.

Mauthe informed troopers that about six years ago, after giving birth to one newborn, she heard it whimper, but subsequently passed out on the floor. Upon waking, she found the baby under her, unresponsive and not breathing, she recounted.

Police setup perimeter around shooting in the village of Thompson in Susquehanna County, PA

Pennsylvania State Police have investigated the incident. (AP Photo/Aimee Dilger)

Mauthe faces charges of criminal homicide, involuntary manslaughter, and multiple counts of corpse abuse. She currently remains in the Armstrong County Jail without bail.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for next week.

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