Heartbreaking Tragedy: Mother Convicted in Newborn's Drowning as Meth Found in Baby's System
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Heartbreaking Tragedy: Mother Convicted in Newborn's Drowning as Meth Found in Baby's System
A heartbreaking tragedy unfolds as a mother is convicted in her newborn's drowning, with meth being discovered in the baby's system.
A 24-year-old mother from Iowa was recently sentenced to 50 years in prison for drowning her newborn. This tragic incident occurred shortly after the baby's birth, as an attempt to conceal the presence of methamphetamine in the infant's system. Taylor Blaha, the mother, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and requested an immediate sentence. According to the Des Moines Register, she will have to serve 70% of the sentence, which equates to 35 years, before being eligible for parole.
Father pleads guilty in court case
Brandon Thoma, a 31-year-old individual, and Blaha's significant other, is found guilty of child endangerment resulting in death and abuse of a corpse. According to officials, both Blaha and Thoma submerged their newborn daughter in a bathtub halfway filled with water to suppress her cries, followed by disposing her lifeless body in a wooded area inside a backpack. Unfortunately, the remains of the baby were never located. This tragic incident highlights the importance of child safety and the need to raise awareness about such distressing matters.
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Blaha disclosed her methamphetamine use during her delivery on November 16, 2022. Both she and her boyfriend harbored concerns about potential child services involvement and the potential loss of custody of their 2-year-old son. Safeguarding their family's future was paramount.
Taylor Blaha pleads guilty to second-degree murder, receives a 50-year prison sentence for the tragic drowning death of her baby daughter. This unfortunate saga started to unfold in April 2022 when Blaha informs Thoma about her pregnancy with their second child. Learn more from the Webster County Sheriff's Office.
The couple made the decision to not have another child. While they desired to have their 2-year-old son, they did not wish to welcome a new baby into their family.
Following arrest, the young mother disclosed to the authorities that she and Thoma originally intended to have a family member adopt their daughter, rather than co-raising her. Subsequently, court documents revealed that their cellphones contained searches related to inducing a miscarriage. In a distressing turn of events, when the mother went into labor in her apartment's bathroom, she requested methamphetamine from Thoma, claiming it would alleviate her pain.
Baby Kayleen
She was born alive, was moving her arms and legs, and opened her eyes, allowing her mom to see that she had brown eyes, according to the court filings cited by Law & Crime.
Kayleen then began to cry, raising concerns with her parents that the sound would alert neighbors, who would call the cops.
Blaha said she and her boyfriend did not want the Department of Child Services to remove their son, so they decided to drown the newborn.
According to Blaha, after cutting a section of the baby’s umbilical cord to keep as a souvenir, Thoma helped her position herself next to the tub and showed her how to submerge their baby by pushing down on her chest.
Brandon Thoma, Blaha’s boyfriend and the baby’s father, allegedly instructed the mom to drown their newborn in a half-filled tub, then dumped the child’s body in the woods - Webster County Sheriff’s Office
“When I tried to take my hands off her, he would put my hands back on her and encourage me to keep going,” Blaha read from a statement in court Friday. “She died as a result.”
Under questioning, Blaha and Thoma told detectives that they had swaddled their dead daughter in black garbage bags and stuffed her into a backpack.
According to the documents, Thoma was later caught on security video leaving the apartment with a backpack containing a large “rectangular object” and returning 20 minutes with an empty backpack.
Police learned of Kayleen’s death on November 22 and launched a search for her body, scouring wooded areas in Fort Dodge and near a landfill, but without success.
Blaha initially faced a charge of first-degree murder, to which she pleaded not guilty, but on Friday, she agreed to plead guilty to the lesser count.
Thoma was also initially charged with first-degree murder but accepted a plea deal that downgraded the charge against him.
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