Authorities said a northern Iowa couple drowned their newborn in a bathtub shortly after she was born, fearing her cries would draw the attention of police. They’re charged with first-degree murder, even though the baby’s remains have not been found in weeks of searching.
Brandon D. Thoma, 31, and Taylor K. Blaha, 24, both of Fort Dodge, were charged Wednesday in the presumed death of the infant, and Thoma also was charged with a felony count of abusing a corpse, court documents show.
In an arrest affidavit, Webster County Sheriff’s Detective Amy Stringer said police received a call on Nov. 22 from a caseworker who said Blaha had shown up at a Fort Dodge hospital saying she had given birth days earlier at the apartment she shared with Thoma, the father of the baby and of Blaha’s 2-year-old child….