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Inset, center: Jessica M. Mauthe (Armstrong County Jail). Background: Images from inside the home where Mauthe allegedly hid four dead babies (WPXI).
In Pennsylvania, a 39-year-old woman is facing new legal charges after another deceased infant was discovered in her rented home, marking the fourth infant found in that location.
Jessica Mauthe, who was arrested last weekend, now confronts further allegations, including those of criminal homicide and involuntary manslaughter. Previously, as reported by Law&Crime, she had been charged with one count each of criminal homicide and abusing a corpse after the property owner found a baby wrapped in a towel inside a garbage bag in a closet. Additionally, the bodies of three more infants were uncovered in the attic of the residence.
The homeowner, Brent Flanigan, who owns the property on the 100 block of Oak Avenue in Cadogan Township, shared with Pittsburgh NBC affiliate WPXI details about Mauthe, noting that last month he evicted her due to unpaid rent.
“After her father’s death, the money stopped,” Flanigan explained to the news outlet. “I’m not sure if she ever paid me directly. She’d often get churches to cover the rent instead.”
Flanigan mentioned that he and an employee visited the residence on September 13 after learning that Mauthe had abandoned several cats, leading to the grim discovery.
“We went in to start cleaning, and that’s when we found the bag,” Flanigan recounted. “It was wrapped in multiple garbage bags, sealed tightly, and the stench was overwhelming. When we opened it, there were towels inside. Using a stick, we moved the towels aside, revealing something rotten and decomposing that was clearly not an animal.”
The coroner was called to the home and confirmed that the bag contained the remains of a deceased infant, leading to the involvement of the state police. A subsequent search of the home initially resulted in two more dead babies being found in the attic.
The Pennsylvania State Police on Thursday confirmed the discovery of a fourth baby’s body in the home.
In an interview with police, Mauthe said she gave birth to all of the children in her bathroom, with the first one being born about six years ago, The Tribune-Review reported, citing to the criminal complaint. Mauthe claimed that after giving birth to the first victim, she passed out on top of the child and when she awoke, it was dead.
She reportedly claimed that the second child was stillborn and never made a sound. However, she allegedly admitted to intentionally killing the third child about a year ago after giving birth on the toilet.
“The child remained in the toilet for several minutes, during this time, she could hear the child making noises,” police wrote, per 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.”
The fourth deceased child was not mentioned in the complaint.
Authorities said Mauthe, who has two adult children, never attempted to get any of the babies medical attention and, following their deaths, did not make any effort to contact law enforcement.
Police said the Indiana County Coroner’s Office was performing autopsies on all four of the bodies recovered from the home.
Mauthe is currently being held in the Armstrong County Jail without bond. She is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 30.