Iowa police allege a couple drowned their newborn son in an apartment bathtub shortly after the baby was born.
Brandon Thoma, 31, and Taylor Blaha, 24, are being charged in connection with the alleged death of the baby. Thoma is being charged with felony abusing a corpse, according to court documents.
Webster County Sheriff’s Detective Amy Stringer said in an arrest affidavit that a caseworker called police Nov. 22 after Blaha went to a Fort Dodge, Iowa, hospital and said she gave gave birth to the baby inside the apartment, which she shared with her father, Thoma. , and Blaha’s 2-year-old son.
Blaha told Stronger that she found out about her pregnancy in April and gave birth on November 16 in the bedroom of the apartment, according to the affidavit.
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Brandon Thoma (left), 31, and Taylor Blaha (right), 24, are being charged in connection with the alleged death of the baby. Thoma is being charged with felony abusing a corpse, according to court documents.
(Webster County Jail via AP)
The mother told Stringer that the baby was born alive and was moving parts of its body.
Originally, according to court documents, Blaha was going to give the baby to her sister and let her adopt him. However, the couple feared that the baby’s crying would draw the attention of neighbors and police and decided to hold the baby in a full bathtub to drown it, according to the documents.
“Thoma and Blaha have confirmed… that once Kayleen was born, Thoma cut the umbilical cord with scissors that were present in her apartment and shortly thereafter cut additional sections of the cord to remember the baby.” Stringer said, according to the affidavit.
When officials searched the apartment, an apparent piece of umbilical cord or placenta remains was found in a dresser drawer.
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Blaha and Thoma exchanged text messages claiming the baby’s body was dumped in a wooded area, however police did not find the baby’s remains in said area, according to the affidavit.
Thoma also told police that he buried the baby in a specific area, but authorities did not find the body after an excavation.
The baby’s father, Thoma, was also questioned by Stringer, who said he admitted to drowning the baby out of fear that police would find methamphetamine in the baby’s system and take custody of the 2-year-old.
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Blaha also told Stringer that she and Thoma initially attempted to cause a miscarriage, according to the affidavit.
Story County Public Defender Paul Rounds, who is representing Thoma, said his client will plead not guilty.
The couple is being held on $1 million bonds.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
