Florida newborn baby born in toilet drowned; Mom cleaned bathroom while baby died, deputies say
FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. - A Flagler County newborn baby – born in a toilet around March 5 – drowned to death, a medical examiner confirmed.
What we know:
A baby girl was born sometime around 3 a.m., March 5, but her short life ended as deputies suspect her mother left her in the toilet she was born in.
Anne Mae Demegillo
A Florida student, Anne Mae Demegillo, 20, of Palm Coast, is charged with manslaughter after Flagler County deputies suspect Demegillo of leaving her newborn baby in a toilet and letting the baby girl die.
According to Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly, Demegillo cleaned up blood in the bathroom with paper and hand towels while the child remained in the toilet. She stayed in the bathroom until the baby died, Staly said.
"She did tell us that she was hoping that the baby would hurry up and die," he said.
Staley said this is one of the saddest cases he's seen in his entire career of 51 years.
Watch: Full press conference
Flagler County baby born in toilet died from drowning, sheriff says
Anne Mae Demegillo, 20, of Palm Coast is suspected of cleaning up blood while her newborn baby, born in a toilet, died in the water. Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staley said the baby likely could have lived before it drowned to death.
‘Didn’t know she was pregnant'
The backstory:
Flagler County deputies responded to a call received around 4 a.m., March 6 regarding a welfare check on Anne Mae Demegillo, 20, of Palm Coast.
The caller said Demegillo sent her messages on social media saying she had been secretly pregnant and had given birth at home. The message to the caller indicated that Demegillo's baby was born alive and crying, but that Demegillo did something to the baby, the sheriff's office said.
Demegillo claimed she didn't know she was pregnant until she had given birth, deputies said. She said she was having severe abdominal pain, around 3 a.m., March 5, before giving birth, the sheriff's office said. Demegillo claimed the baby was born over 24 hours ago, deputies said.
Deputies said the investigation shows no one else was aware she was pregnant.
The other side:
During a March 9 press conference, Sheriff Rick Staley said he doesn't necessarily believe Demegillo didn't know she was pregnant.
"We personally believe she knew she was pregnant based on some of the evidence we have between text messages," Staly said. Despite the sheriff's office's opinion, Staly the sheriff's office is working to prove their beliefs, beyond reasonable doubt.
Cause of death: Drowning
According to Staly, the baby died by drowning.
He said the medical examiner confirmed that the preliminary cause of death was by drowning.
The child also had an abrasion on her head, which the sheriff's office believes occurred during birth and from falling into the toilet, Staly said.
The sheriff's office said Demegillo hid her baby in a duffle bag in the closet and returned later that day to bury the baby in a shallow grave.
Demegillo is currently detained and is facing aggravated manslaughter of a child charges. Deputies said Demegillo is facing manslaughter charges – not murder at this time – due to the investigation showing that the baby was born and left and that Demegillo didn't inflict harm upon the baby.
If more evidence found during the investigation points to a homicide, Staly said it's up to the State Attorney's office to escalate that charge.
What's next:
The sheriff's office is currently serving search warrants on digital evidence to see if Demegillo attempted to obtain information about the birth or disposal steps of a dead body, Staly said.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Flagler County Sheriff's office.