Anne Mae Demegillo apparently has a flair for the dramatic. The Florida college student has had roles in many community theater productions and loved appearing on stage. In fact, she reportedly performed on March 5, 2026, just hours after secretly giving birth at home and hiding the evidence. Demegillo allegedly sent text messages about the birth, prompting a welfare check from police. When they arrived at the 20-year-old’s residence in Flagler County, she confessed to investigators. She then led them to a shallow grave in the backyard.
According to a news release from the Flagler County Sherriff’s Office, the Flagler County Emergency Communication Center received a phone call around 4 a.m. March 6 for a welfare check. The caller claimed Demegillo sent them messages stating she’d been secretly pregnant. She allegedly admitted to delivering her baby at home on a toilet on March 5. Demegillo reportedly told police she didn’t know she was pregnant. She said she began to have terrible abdominal pains around 3 a.m. on March 5.
She claimed the baby was alive and crying after she gave birth, but she then did something awful to the newborn.
“Demegillo claimed she thought the infant was deceased, so she hid the infant in a duffle bag in her closet and went about her normal daily routine. When Demegillo returned home from a theater performance in New Smyrna Beach, she decided to bury the deceased infant in a shallow grave in her backyard,” according to the release from the sheriff’s office. “At no point did Demegillo contact emergency services for assistance.”
Following a thorough investigation, police determined that Demegillo had actually knowingly let her baby drown in the toilet and went about her day as if nothing had happened.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy for our community, for the family involved, and an emotionally difficult case for our team,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in the news release. “I want to remind our community, especially our expectant mothers: Florida law allows you to bring a child at birth to a local fire station, hospital or law enforcement agency and surrender the child.
“That is a much better solution than what we are investigating today—for everyone involved, but most importantly the infant who was prevented from the life they deserve,” Staly added in the release. May God bless this infant and hold and comfort the baby in his loving hands with the love the baby never received on earth.”
The sheriff’s department reiterated the importance of taking advantage of Safe Haven Laws. In Florida, parents can surrender their babies unharmed within seven days to any hospital, emergency medical services station, or fire station.
Demegillo faces a charge of aggravated manslaughter of a child. It’s unclear if the young woman knew she had options or if she just panicked. Regardless, her baby is gone and could have had a chance at a life. There’s no excuse for that.
