Court authorities stated that a couple in northern Iowa drowned their newborn in a bathtub shortly after she was born out of fear that the police would hear her cries. Despite the fact that the baby’s remains have not been located despite weeks of searching, they are still accused of first-degree murder. According to court records, Brandon D. Thoma, 31, and Taylor K. Blaha, 24, both of Fort Dodge, were charged on Wednesday in connection with the infant’s alleged death. Thoma was also charged with a felony count of abusing a corpse.
According to an arrest affidavit from Webster County Sheriff’s Detective Amy Stringer, on November 22, a caseworker called police to report that Blaha had arrived at a Fort Dodge hospital claiming to have given birth days earlier at the apartment she shared with the father of Blaha’s 2-year-old child and the baby, Thoma. Thoma allegedly gave her methamphetamine to ease the pain, according to the affidavit.
Stringer claimed that Blaha verified that the infant had been born alive and was crying, moving her arms and legs, and opening her eyes. Kayleen Lee was the baby’s chosen name, according to Blaha and Thoma.
Blaha claimed they had intended to place the infant for adoption with Blaha’s sister, but they became concerned that the child’s cries would alert the authorities, so they held the infant underwater in the bathtub until she died. The baby’s body was then placed in a plastic storage container, wrapped in trash bags, and taken outside the apartment in a backpack, according to the affidavit.
The couple have reportedly confirmed that Thoma cut the umbilical cord after Kayleen was born using a pair of scissors that were in their apartment, and shortly after, she cut additional sections of the cord to be preserved as a memento of the infant, Stringer stated in the affidavit. A piece of the umbilical cord or what appeared to be placental remains were found in a dresser drawer after the apartment was searched.
According to Stringer, the baby’s body was allegedly dumped in a wooded area, but a search there turned up nothing. In addition, Thoma led police to a location where he claimed to have buried the child, but further investigation revealed nothing. Police have combed a nearby landfill as well, but have not been able to locate the remains.
According to police, the couple’s cell phones and other electronic devices revealed searches for methods to induce miscarriage. According to the affidavit, Blaha admitted to the detective that she and Thoma had attempted to induce a miscarriage but had been unsuccessful. Both were mandated to be held on $1 million bonds on Thursday, with preliminary hearings scheduled for December 15.
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