Inset: Stephanie Ubaldo (Perry Police Department). Background: Authorities at the daycare where Ubaldo is accused of birthing and killing her baby (WLBT).
A 20-year-old daycare employee in Iowa is accused of killing her newborn daughter, allegedly giving birth inside the childcare establishment’s bathroom and intentionally injuring her crying baby before discarding the child in the trash and attempting to go back to work.
Stephanie Ubaldo was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with one count of first-degree murder in connection with the child’s death, authorities announced.
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The investigation began Tuesday, Sept. 15, when Dallas County Emergency Medical Services responded to Acorns & Oaks Child Care about 5 p.m. for a report of a woman experiencing vaginal bleeding, the Des Moines Register reported. The facility is located on the Perry Lutheran Homes Eden Acres campus, in the 1300 block of 28th St.
Emergency medical personnel transported the bleeding woman, identified as Ubaldo, to a local hospital for treatment.
Just before 6:30 p.m., police learned that an infant might be inside a garbage bin at the daycare. Officers responded and found the dead baby girl inside a trash bag, according to police.
Court filings cited by the Des Moines Register say Ubaldo had been pregnant for months, but refused to tell anyone she was pregnant.
Investigators allege Ubaldo delivered the baby in the daycare bathroom before harming the crying newborn.
“[Ubaldo] intentionally caused injuries to the baby’s face in an effort to stop the baby from crying,” prosecutors wrote in the criminal complaint cited by CBS affiliate KCCI.
Ubaldo reportedly attempted to return to work after giving birth, but her continued bleeding led the staff to call for medical assistance.
An autopsy conducted by the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the infant had been between 32 and 36 weeks’ gestation, the Des Moines Register reported. The report also noted that the newborn suffered a series of injuries and abrasions visible across her body.
The baby’s manner of death was ruled a homicide.
In announcing the arrest, Perry Police Chief James Archer also pointed to Iowa’s Safe Haven law, which allows parents or other authorized individuals to surrender an infant up to 90 days old at designated locations without prosecution for abandonment. Archer noted that designated locations in Perry include Dallas County Hospital and Clinic and nursing home facilities.
“There are numerous crisis pregnancy centers throughout the state of Iowa and resources available to those in need,” the chief said in a statement. “We strongly encourage those in a crisis pregnancy to reach out, people are available to assist you, you are not alone.”
Ubaldo was transported to and processed into the Dallas County Jail, where she remains held without bail. It was not immediately clear when she was scheduled to appear in court.
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