Evil Dad and daughter 'leave newborn baby to freeze to death by dumping infant in snow'

Police received concerned reports after people noticed Megan Staude was no longer pregnant but did not have a child. Sniffer dogs found the three week old baby remains on the side of the road

Comments

News

Liam Buckler and Jaymelouise Hudspith

09:14, 16 Mar 2023

[Megan Staude, 25 has been arrested and is now facing murder charges ]

Megan Staude, 25 has been arrested and is now facing murder charges (Image: AP)

A dad and his daughter are facing murder charges after allegedly leaving a newborn baby to die in the snow.

On March 9, police used sniffer dogs to tragically locate the child's frozen remains.

The three-week-old infant's body was discovered on the side of a road in Norwalk, Iowa State, US.

Police say the baby's body was handed to a medical examiner for an autopsy, as reported by The Mirror.

Rodney Staude, 64 and his daughter Megan, 25 were arrested and are now facing murder charges.

[Rodney Staude and Megan told investigators the baby was alive when they placed him in a trash bag and abandoned him ]

Rodney Staude and Megan told investigators the baby was alive when they placed him in a trash bag and abandoned him (Image: Uncredited/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Court documents say they told investigators the baby was still alive when they put him in a trash bag and abandoned him.

Officers began searching for the child after receiving reports from concerned colleagues who realised Ms Staude was no longer pregnant but there was no child.

Reports from local media claim that Ms Staude could have legally given the child up under the Safe Haven Act.

While all Safe Haven laws vary from state to state, in Iowa any parent can surrender their child to any hospital or healthcare facility, in the first 90 days after birth, without prosecution.

Since the Iowa law was enacted in 2002, more than 50 newborns have been declared safe havens.

[Police car with sirens on]

Police sniffer dogs found the three-week-old infant's frozen remains on the side of the road (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

It comes after a mum and dad in Ohio, US were arrested after their newborn twins were found with multiple broken bones and bruising.

SueAnn Carter, 27, and Codi Alexander Ronald Allen, 20, were placed in custody after their five-week-old babies suffered broken arms and legs, blood haemorrhages in their eyes, a black eye, multiple rib fractures and bruising across their bodies.

A social worker at the Southern Ohio Medical Centre alerted authorities after she noticed the devastating injuries during a check-up.

The five-week babies were soon taken to Nationwide Children's Hospital and cops were called after the injuries appeared to be non-accidental, according to authorities.

[The pair could have legally surrendered the child to a hospital ]

The pair could have legally surrendered the child to a hospital (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The children were removed from the parents' care by social services and it remains unclear if the parents brought the children to the medical centre.

Parents SueAnn and Codi have been charged with two counts of felonious assault and four counts of endangering children.

The mum and dad are being held on a $340,000 (283,000) bond after appearing at Portsmouth Municipal Court on February 23.

The Scioto County Sheriffs Office confirmed the case remains under investigation.

Keep up to date with all the latest news stories. By signing up for one of Daily Star's free newsletters here.

READ NEXT:

Article continues below

[Dailystar Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Star as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.

[Google Preferred Source Badge]

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.