After being evicted last month, investigators found the remains of four infants at a home in Cadogan Township, close to Ford City, and arrested Jessica Marie Mauthe, 39, of Pennsylvania.
When Mauthe’s previous landlord came inside to clean, he discovered the first body in a closet. It smelled bad and was wrapped in towels. Three more baby remains were found in the attic during a follow-up investigation, wrapped in plastic bags and towels and kept in tote bags.
Mauthe allegedly admitted to investigators that she gave birth to the babies by herself over a period of years. Approximately a year ago, she reported that the infant produced noises before becoming quiet and eventually passing away. In another instance, she says she passed out during labor and woke up to discover the child unconscious about six years ago.
She is charged with multiple counts of concealing a child’s death, involuntary manslaughter, mistreatment of a body, and criminal murder. A preliminary hearing has been set, and she is being jailed without bond.