An Iowa woman will hear her fate next week some two years after she allegedly murdered and discarded her newborn with the help of her father.

Megan K. Staude, 28, admitted guilt to second-degree murder in July following a plea agreement with the prosecution. Initially, she was charged with first-degree murder, but now she potentially faces a 50-year prison sentence on Sept. 22, according to available records. Her father, Rodney Staude, aged 67, is still charged with first-degree murder, with his court appearance set for Sept. 22 and a possible trial on Oct. 15.

Rodney Staude had issues with his competency to stand trial last year but was ruled competent in August, per local NBC affiliate WHO.

The inquiry commenced on March 8, 2023, when Norwalk Police Department received a report from a concerned individual about a child’s welfare. On the following day, officers discovered a deceased newborn along a snowy road in the 5300 block of Delaware Street, Warren County. Investigations revealed that Megan Staude gave birth in late February 2023, placed the infant in a box, and ignored his cries for two days.

The Staudes then allegedly placed the child, while still alive, in a trash bag. Prosecutors accuse them of disposing of the bag in a roadside ditch.

According to local CBS affiliate KCCI, it was Megan Staude’s co-workers who voiced their concerns that day. They observed her no longer being pregnant and became suspicious — with at least one neighbor expressing shock, albeit not surprise.

“Honestly, I was pretty appalled. Not really surprised though, just cause the vibe they gave,” commented Chris Hentschel to KCCI. “They were kinda weird.”

The report noted that the residence where Megan Staude gave birth was considered “unsafe to occupy.”

As previously covered by Law&Crime, it is alleged that Rodney Staude assisted his daughter in abandoning the infant in a ditch, opting not to take the baby to a Safe Haven as permitted by Iowa law.

The Safe Haven Act is a law that allows parents — or another person who has the parent’s authorization — to leave an infant up to 90 days old at a hospital or health care facility without fear of prosecution for abandonment. A parent may also contact 911 and relinquish physical custody of an infant up to 90 days old to a first responder of the 911 call. More than 50 children have been declared safe havens since the Iowa law was enacted in 2002. All states have Safe Haven laws, although provisions differ.

WHO IS A SAFE HAVEN?

A Safe Haven is an institutional health facility – such as a hospital or health care facility or a first responder who responds to the 911 telephone call.

According to the law – an “institutional health facility” means:

A “hospital” as defined in Iowa Code section 135B.1, including a facility providing medical or health services that is open twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week and is a hospital emergency room, or

A “health care facility” as defined in Iowa Code section 135C.1 means a residential care facility, a nursing facility, an intermediate care facility for persons with mental illness, or an intermediate care facility for persons with an intellectual disability.

According to the law, “first responder” means an emergency medical care provider, a registered nurse staffing an authorized service program under section 147A.12, a physician assistant staffing an authorized service program under section 147A.13, a fire fighter, or a peace officer as defined in section 801.4.

In a previous phone interview with Law&Crime, Norwalk Police Chief Greg Staples said that it has been a “difficult” and “emotional investigation” for all involved.

“Luckily justice is being served for the baby who didn’t have any say-so in what happened to him,” Staples said, crediting officers who “buckled down and solved a case of this magnitude so quickly.”

Staples said that a cadaver dog named Montana, with the search and rescue group Iowa SAR K9, found the baby covered in snow.

“Safe Haven laws are there for a reason,” Staples emphasized. “It is a shame that because the Safe Haven laws weren’t used in this case we have the death of a newborn and two people in jail charged with the most serious crime that there is.”

The police chief hoped that shining a light on this tragic case will ensure that nothing like it will happen again.

“If there’s one thing that’s good that comes out of this investigation it’s that someone pregnant out there will see this story and their baby will have a life to live unlike this baby,” Staples said.