A high-profile Armstrong County homicide case hit an unexpected pause on Tuesday when a judge postponed the trial of 39-year-old inmate Jessica Marie Mauthe after she gave birth while in custody at the county jail. Mauthe is at the center of a case that drew national attention last fall, when the remains of four infants were found in a rental home just outside Ford City.
Judge Delays Trial After Jailhouse Delivery
The continuance came after a court appearance following Mauthe’s delivery of a child behind bars, according to CBS News Pittsburgh. The outlet reported that the judge agreed to push the case back, but no written order was immediately released, and no new trial date was announced in court.
How Investigators Say They Found The Remains
State police and the Armstrong County coroner say they discovered the infants’ remains wrapped in towels and plastic bags, hidden in a closet and in the attic of a Cadogan Township house on Oak Avenue. The search began after the landlord, cleaning out the property, noticed a strong foul odor, according to The Associated Press. That grim discovery led to Mauthe’s arrest in September and to multiple criminal counts tied to the deaths.
What Mauthe Reportedly Told Investigators
According to troopers who testified before a magistrate, Mauthe said she gave birth to the children inside the home over roughly the past six years. They told the court that at least some of the newborns made noises before later becoming silent and that Mauthe did not seek medical care, WPXI reported. At the preliminary hearing, her attorney pressed on whether those alleged statements alone established how the infants died and raised the possibility that a competency evaluation might be necessary.
Legal Status And Next Steps
Mauthe is charged with criminal homicide, involuntary manslaughter, and four counts each of concealing the death of a child and abuse of a corpse. A judge has already ruled that the charges will proceed to trial and ordered that she remain jailed without bond, according to Law & Crime. As of the latest hearing, initial public coverage noted that no new trial date had been listed in any public court filing or announced in open court, CBS News Pittsburgh reported.
