A Pennsylvania landlord made a horrifying discovery last week when he found the decomposed remains of a baby inside his recently vacated rental property. State police later uncovered two more sets of infant remains during a full search of the home.
Authorities have charged the former tenant, 39-year-old Jessica M. Mauthe of Cadogan, Armstrong County, with one count of homicide and one count of abuse of a corpse in connection with the most recent infant, believed to have been born about a year ago.
The grim investigation began Friday after the landlord called state police to report what he suspected was a deceased infant in the property. He told investigators that he had evicted Mauthe on August 14 and changed the locks on August 30.
While preparing the residence for a new tenant in the 100 block of Oak Avenue, the landlord said he noticed a foul odor coming from a closet. Inside, he found a trash bag containing a towel wrapped around “something decomposing.” Police and the county coroner confirmed the remains belonged to an infant.
A subsequent search of the home led investigators to the attic, where they discovered two storage totes. Inside each tote, they found black trash bags, each containing another towel-wrapped infant, according to a report from PennLive.
During an interview with police, Mauthe admitted she had given birth to her most recent baby about one year ago while seated on the toilet in her bathroom, according to the affidavit of probable cause. She told investigators the child remained in the toilet for several minutes, during which time she could “hear the child making several noises.”
After removing the baby, Mauthe said she wrapped the child in a towel, “where it remained until it stopped making noises.” She then placed the towel-wrapped infant in multiple plastic bags before leaving the bundle in the upstairs closet, the same location where the landlord later found it.
Police said Mauthe also admitted to giving birth to two other infants at the home. Both were also wrapped in towels, sealed in plastic bags, and placed into totes in the attic. “Additional charges will be filed if appropriate,” Charlton said.
Cadogan, where the case is unfolding, is a small borough along the Allegheny River northeast of Pittsburgh. The shocking discovery has left the community shaken as investigators work to determine the full circumstances surrounding the deaths.