MANSFIELD, Ohio – The 19-year-old woman found with a decomposing baby in her car trunk will be sentenced on Jan. 27 for her role in the incident.
During a change of plea hearing in Richland County Juvenile Court on Monday, officials say the woman admitted to abuse of corpse, a fifth-degree felony, and an amended count of attempting to tamper with evidence, a fourth-degree felony. In juvenile court, admitting is the equivalent of a guilty plea.
“Basically what she is admitting to is she didn’t dispose of the remains of the body properly,” said Michael Casto, court administrator for Richland County Juvenile Court. “She also testified that the baby was stillborn, and the autopsy could not determine one way or the other.”
According to Casto, the woman – whose status as a juvenile protects her identity – will next appear in a findings and dispositional hearing at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 27, 2016, in front of Judge Ron Spon.
“There was a pre-dispositional study done, but it’s currently being updated for the judge to consider when he enters his disposition,” Casto said.
Casto noted juvenile court has jurisdiction up to age 21 in sentencing guidelines. Currently the woman has a job and is attending college.
If convicted as a delinquent, the maximum penalty the juvenile could receive is to be committed into the legal custody of the Ohio Department of Youth Services for an indeterminate period of time, anywhere from six months to when she turns 21.
Previously, the woman appeared in juvenile court on Oct. 13, where she entered a no contest plea to charges of abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. A no contest plea to both charges means the juvenile is merely admitting the facts of the case as presented are true and accurate, but not admitting to any guilt. In juvenile court, defendants may plead admission, denial or no contest.
The charges stem from a July 23, 2013 incident when the decomposed body of a female infant was found in the trunk of the juvenile’s vehicle at Broadway Automotive & Exhaust in Shelby. According to Shelby police, officers were dispatched to the 211 N. Gamble St. business when a complainant called 911 to report what he believed was the corpse of an infant child. It was found in a cardboard box in the trunk of a car.
The juvenile was 17 years old at the time of the incident. During an interview with Shelby’s now-Chief Lance Combs, the juvenile admitted to giving birth to the infant at her home in late January or early February of 2013.
Casto noted while an autopsy could not determine whether the infant was stillborn, as the woman testified, it could determine that the baby was full term. According to an autopsy report completed by Dr. Lisa Kohler, Summit County’s Chief Medical Examiner, bone length and dental maturation confirm the infant was full term.
Kohler also noted the question of whether the infant was the product of a live birth versus stillbirth cannot be determined with accuracy.
“No anatomic cause of death could be identified,” read Kohler’s report. “The degree of decomposition limits the extent of evaluation that can be performed.”
