Investigators say they’ve found a fourth dead infant in the Cadogan house Jessica Mauthe had been renting after police searched it last week.
Police initially reported three dead infants in the residence, but new charges filed against Mauthe accuse her of concealing an additional corpse.
Mauthe’s former landlord located the first child, found wrapped in towels in a garbage bag, as he cleaned out the home on Saturday.
The landlord had evicted Mauthe in August.
South Buffalo police and the Armstrong County Coroner’s Office responded, later calling in the state police.
State troopers located three other dead infants in the house’s attic.
They were found in garbage and grocery bags within totes, the complaint said. Each of the deceased infants was wrapped in towels, according to the complaint.
During a police interview, Mauthe said she had given birth to the first child six years ago in her bathroom. She told police she passed out on top of the child soon after she gave birth and woke up to find it lifeless, according to the complaint.
Mauthe gave birth to two more children, at different times, in her bathroom, the complaint said. The first made no noise, and she removed it from the toilet and confirmed it was deceased, according to the complaint.
About a year ago, she gave birth to a second child in the toilet, wrapping it in towels and holding it against her until it stopped breathing, the complaint said.
The complaint made no mention of the fourth infant’s cause of death.
According to the complaint, Mauthe never sought medical attention for the infants, nor reported their deaths.
Mauthe is charged with criminal homicide, involuntary manslaughter, four counts of concealing the death of a child and four counts of abuse of a corpse.
She remains in Armstrong County Jail after District Judge J. Gary DeComo denied her bail.
Her preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 30.
