Charges held for court against Armstrong County woman accused of concealing 4 dead infants

Jessica Mauthe, the Armstrong County woman accused of concealing four dead infants in a Cadogan home she rented, is headed to court.

District Judge J. Gary DeComo held her bevy of charges for trial after Mauthe appeared for her preliminary hearing in Ford City on Tuesday.

Mauthe faces single counts of criminal homicide and involuntary manslaughter and four counts each of abuse of a corpse and concealing the death of a child.

At the hearing, state police Trooper Justin Simons testified he found the partially decomposed remains of the four babies at Mauthe’s former Oak Avenue residence on Sept. 13 after she was evicted the month before.

Simons said police have been referring to the corpses as Babies A, B, C and D.

The babies were wrapped in towels or blankets and placed in three different totes, the trooper said.

The homeowner, while cleaning out the house, initially located Baby D in a tote in a spare room on the second floor, which Simons referred to as a “toy room” or “playroom.”

Once police began searching the home, they found another corpse — Baby C — in a tote in the attic, Simons said. A third attic tote yielded two more corpses, babies A and B, according to Simons.

State Trooper Greg Durick said he interviewed Mauthe later that day.

He testified at the hearing that Mauthe told him she had gave birth to babies A and C around six years ago in her bathroom.

After giving birth to Baby A, who was breathing, Mauthe told police she fell unconscious atop the child and woke up to find it lifeless, Durick said.

When Mauthe gave birth to Baby C in her toilet, Durick testified, the baby made no noise, and she later confirmed it was dead.

Mauthe gave birth to Baby D around a year and half ago, the trooper said. She wrapped the living baby completely in a towel and held it until it stopped breathing, he said.

“She didn’t know if she held the baby too tight or if it was because its face was covered,” Durick said.

Prosecutors did not discuss the origins or fate of Baby B, nor was it mentioned in a criminal complaint filed against Mauthe.

Mauthe also told Durick she was using Suboxone, a drug used to treat opioid addiction, and she was fearful Armstrong County Children and Youth Services would become involved if she went to authorities, Durick said.

The criminal homicide charge is related to Baby D, and the involuntary manslaughter charge stems from Baby A, Simons said.

The 39-year-old Mauthe lived with two young sons and a roommate at the home. Durick said the children didn’t have access to the areas where the totes were stored.

Leechburg attorney Chuck Pascal, who was assigned as Mauthe’s public defender, said prosecutors had no physical evidence Mauthe had actually harmed the children aside from her interview with police.

At one point, he even suggested Mauthe’s memories of the incidents could be “a dream.”

DeComo declined Pascal’s request to throw out the homicide and manslaughter charges.

After the hearing, Pascal admitted it was a “tough case,” but he asked the public to withhold judgment during the court proceedings.

“This is the beginning of a very long process,” Pascal said.

He said the defense would explore all options, including a potential mental health evaluation.

Armstrong County District Attorney Katie Charlton declined a TribLive request for comment.

No date has been set for Mauthe’s formal court arraignment in Kittanning. In the meantime, she will remain in the Armstrong County Jail.