Inset, center: Jessica M. Mauthe (Armstrong County Jail). Background: Images from inside the home where Mauthe allegedly hid four dead babies (WPXI).
New details have emerged in the case of a 39-year-old Pennsylvania mother who was arrested last month after authorities said they recovered four deceased babies from the home where she had been living for years prior to her eviction.
Jessica Mauthe appeared for her preliminary hearing on Tuesday before District Judge J. Gary DeComo where she pleaded not guilty to one count each of criminal homicide and involuntary manslaughter as well as four counts each of concealing the death of a child and abuse of a corpse, court records show.
During the hearing, prosecutors called multiple witnesses to testify about the investigation into Mauthe, who was initially arrested after her landlord found a deceased infant wrapped in towels and garbage bags that had been hidden away in one of the closets. A subsequent search of the home revealed three additional dead newborns had been stuffed in tote bags or buckets and hidden in the attic of the home.
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A trooper with the Pennsylvania State Police testified on Tuesday that the homicide charge relates to the final child Mauthe gave birth to about 18 months ago, while the manslaughter charge applies to the first child she birthed, which took place about six years ago, according to a courtroom report from the Butler Eagle.
Another trooper reportedly told the court that Mauthe provided investigators with details about each of the children that were stashed in the house, each of whom was birthed in the bathroom. She allegedly said the first baby made a sound or “whimper” before Mauthe passed out, waking up atop the child, who was already deceased.
Details about the second and third babies remained unclear — specifically, whether the children were alive or stillborn. She said the third child, referred to as “Baby C” in court documents, did not make any sounds after being born in the toilet.
The fourth child was allegedly killed by Mauthe after being born alive, also in the toilet.
“The child remained in the toilet for several minutes, during this time, she could hear the child making noises,” police previously wrote in a probable cause affidavit. “Mauthe removed the child from the toilet, wrapped a towel around the infant”s entire body, where it remained until it stopped making noises.”
A trooper testified that during an interview, Mauthe admitted she held the baby for 15 to 20 minutes before it stopped making noise and said she was unsure if the death was the result of holding the child too tightly or because she had the child’s nose and mouth covered.
Mauthe’s defense attorney, Chuck Pascal, argued that his client should not be facing the homicide and manslaughter charges because prosecutors submitted no evidence about the children’s causes of death, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. He also asserted that Mauthe’s admissions should not be taken literally because she was likely in a “dream” state due to the pain, pressure, and blood loss that come with giving birth.
“You can’t confess to a crime that can’t be proven in some other way,” he reportedly told the court. “There was no evidence introduced today about any cause of death, about whether any baby was alive, any scientific evidence. Therefore, you’ve got to question anything that Miss Mauthe may have said, whether it was accurate or not. She may not know.”
At the conclusion of the proceedings, DeComo held all of the charges against Mauthe, meaning she will go to trial.
Mauthe was ordered to remain in detention at the Armstrong County Jail without bond. It was not immediately clear when she was scheduled to return to court.
