An Iowa man and his adult daughter were charged with first-degree murder after leaving a newborn baby to die on the side of an icy road in a state where Safe Haven regulations would have shielded them from prosecution had they left the infant at an authorized location.
Megan K. Staude, 25, gave birth to a baby boy at home in February and, a few days later, she and her father, Rodney A. Staude, 64, abandoned the newborn in the snow.
Concerns about a child’s safety were reported to the Norwalk Police Department on March 8. Ms. Staude’s coworkers became suspicious when they discovered she was no longer pregnant and contacted authorities, concerned about the baby’s health and well-being, according to news media.
When police investigated, Staude allegedly stated that the baby died on the way to the hospital and that she buried him at the Cumming Cemetery. The police returned after discovering no evidence of the burial and were told a different story. When they arrived at the actual location, they discovered the body in a trash bag.
The mom admitted to a news outlet that she gave birth on February 24 and then placed her newborn son in a box without caring for him in any way. She allegedly told police that she and her father had placed the still-alive infant in a trash bag and then lied about it.
Rodney Staude, according to investigators, assisted his daughter in leaving the newborn in a ditch along Delaware Street in Warren County rather than taking the child to a Safe Haven, as required by Iowa law. The Safe Haven Act states that a newborn up to 90 days old may be abandoned at a hospital or other healthcare facility by either its parents or another person with the consent of the parents without fear of legal repercussions.
A parent may also call 911 and give a first responder physical custody of a baby up to 90 days old. More than 50 children have been designated as safe havens since the Iowa statute was passed in 2002. The legislation, according to Norwalk Police Chief Greg Staples, serves a purpose. He went on to say that the failure to apply Safe Haven rules in this case resulted in the death of an innocent baby and the arrest of the two people involved. The police chief expressed hope that by drawing attention to this tragic case, nothing like it would happen again.