Inset: Jessica M. Mauthe (Armstrong County Jail). Background: The home where Mauthe allegedly hid 3 dead infants prior to her eviction (WTAE).
A 39-year-old woman from Pennsylvania, identified as Jessica M. Mauthe, has been detained after officials claim she left the bodies of three deceased infants in a house following her eviction. One infant was found in a trash bag within a closet, while the other two were discovered in tote bags in the attic.
Mauthe was apprehended over the weekend and now faces charges of criminal homicide and corpse abuse. These charges are specifically linked to the first infant, who authorities say was born approximately a year prior.
The Pennsylvania State Police revealed in a press release that Mauthe was charged on Saturday following an inquiry into the findings at a property on the 100 block of Oak Avenue in Cadogan Township. Further information was withheld due to the investigation’s active status.
A criminal complaint sourced by Philadelphia CBS affiliate KYW, indicates that authorities responded to a 911 call from the property’s owner on Saturday. The owner reported discovering a deceased infant while cleaning the home following Mauthe’s eviction a month prior. Intrigued by a foul odor from a closet, she investigated and found a trash bag containing a decomposing item wrapped in a towel.
The coroner’s inspection confirmed the presence of an infant’s remains, prompting state police involvement.
During a subsequent house search, investigators found two tote bags in the attic. One bag held a black trash bag with a baby’s remains wrapped in a towel, while the other contained a bucket inside a trash bag with another dead infant, as reported by PennLive.
Investigators brought Mauthe in for questioning and she allegedly admitted that she gave birth to the child found in the closet approximately one year earlier while she was seated on her 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.”
She then reportedly said she put the child inside several black garbage bags and left it in the closet of the upstairs bedroom where it was later discovered by the homeowner.
Mauthe also allegedly admitted to giving birth to the other two children found in the attic.
District Attorney Katie Charlton reportedly told PennLive that additional charges against Mauthe “will be filed if appropriate.” The results from autopsies on the two babies discovered in the attic are pending.
Neighbors were aghast after hearing the allegations against Mauthe.
“Shocked. No one believed it. It’s just evil,” one neighbor told WTAE. “How can you plop babies in the toilet?”
Mauthe is currently being held in the Armstrong County Jail without bond.
