When Pennsylvania mom Jessica Mauthe was evicted from her home, she allegedly left behind something no one could have anticipated. Her former landlord was shocked to discover the body of a newborn in the closet. That would have been shocking enough, but that’s not where this story stops. As he continued to go through the home, he found the bodies of two more babies. Mauthe was, of course, arrested. As police questioned her, she allegedly admitted to putting the babies in the closet. Now she’s facing charges.
Pennsylvania state police were called to a vacant home in Cadogan Township on September 13, 2025, KDKA reported. The owner of the property told the police Mauthe had been evicted from the home. While cleaning, a foul odor was coming out of a closet where a trash bag was found. When the coroner was called, it was confirmed a dead infant was inside.
Police continued to look throughout the home and found the unthinkable. There were also two totes in the attic with dead babies inside.
State police found Mauthe and questioned her, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. The 39-year-old mom admitted that she had given birth last year while sitting on the toilet.
“She could hear the child making several noises,” police wrote, according to the criminal complaint. “Mauthe removed the child from the toilet, wrapped a towel around the infant’s entire body, where it remained until it stopped making noises,” per the newspaper.
She put the baby into a garbage bag and put the bag in the closet. The mom then admitted she also birthed the other two babies, putting their bodies in garbage bags. It is unclear when she delivered those babies or how long she lived in the home.
Elizabeth Germy helped the landlord look for three cats left behind when the woman was evicted. She spoke with KDKA about the whole incident. “Very sick. Very disgusted. Sad for the two that are left behind, the living children. No words,” she said.
Jessica Mauthe has two other children, ages 6 and 8, according to KDKA. Neighbor Carmen Felix often babysat the children. “It’s a close-knit community. Everybody watches out for each other. Them two boys of hers, the whole neighborhood babysat them,” he said.
Felix said he didn’t even know that Mauthe was pregnant. Allegedly, her husband is in jail.
“How could she do that, three times? You don’t just plop babies in toilets,” he said, per KDKA.
State police will work to obtain search warrants for Mauthe’s medical records. Additionally, they plan to conduct interviews with her friends, coworkers, and her husband.
Thus far, she has been charged with one count of homicide and one count of abuse of a corpse, WTAE reported. Police say they expect more charges.
