A Norwalk woman accused of helping her father place her neglected newborn baby in a trash bag, where he was left to die in a roadside ditch, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
Norwalk police arrested Megan K. Staude, 26, and father, Rodney A. Staude, 66, in March 2023 and charged them with first-degree murder. Police said they began investigating after receiving a call from Megan Staude's coworkers regarding the health and safety of the newborn.
They said her father, who was later found incompetent to stand trial, at first denied knowledge of the birth, then said the baby had died on the way home from the hospital.
He said he then placed the deceased baby in a plastic bag and disposed of the body "in a ditch south of Norwalk," according to a police complaint. He took police to the 5300 block of Delaware St., where, using a cadaver dog, they discovered the deceased newborn's body in the tied trash bag.
Police obtained a search warrant of the family home in Norwalk, where they found signs that a birth had taken place. A witness also shared a texted conversation with Megan Staude in which the witness asked her "was the baby alive when you left him?" and she replied "a little," the complaint said.
Police said Staude then confessed that she gave birth at home on Feb. 24, put her son in a box and did not provide him with care, according to the police complaint. She also allegedly told police that after two days, she helped her father place the baby in the trash bag.
She pleaded not guilty and was scheduled for trial this month. However, in a court appearance Wednesday, she pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder, according to court documents. District Judge Charles Sinnard. accepted the plea.
Staude was being held in the Warren County Jail pending sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled. A status conference is set for late August.
Staff writer José Mendiola contributed to this article.
Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.
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