Friday, August 22, 2008

Woman Murders Newborn

A Lacey, Washington woman has been charged with second degree murder in the death of her newborn girl. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Christy Peters says that based on statements and evidence that Jessica L. Wemhaner, 29, killed her daughter but that there was no premeditation.
On Aug. 10, Wemhaner was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia with medical complications. Doctors determined Wemhaner had given birth, but she and her husband, Daniel, denied any knowledge of a pregnancy.

Police searched their house and discovered the body of the newborn in a cabinet below the sink of the master bathroom.

An autopsy Aug. 12 determined the girl was born alive and was breathing after a full-term pregnancy.

Wemhaner eventually admitted that "she believed she was pregnant" between April and June, detectives say. She said she told no one, including her husband, about her pregnancy and never saw a doctor.

Wemhaner told detectives she awoke the morning of Aug. 10 feeling ill and gave birth in her bathroom. She "recalled holding the baby in the bathroom, against her chest, in her arms. She stated that she wrapped the baby in a bath towel and placed it under the sink in the cabinet in the bathroom," court records say.


No charges will be filed against her husband, Peters said.

Daniel Wemhaner denied any knowledge of the pregnancy and was "distraught at learning of what was discovered," court records say. Police have said there is no information that proves the baby's father is anyone other than the husband.

Peters said it was feasible that Wemhaner hid the pregnancy given her stature. She is 5-foot-2 and weighs 170 pounds, a pretrial report says.

"It's easier to tell on someone who's naturally thin than naturally heavy," Peters said.

Daniel Wemhaner had been transported to Benton County Jail in Prosser serving his remaining sentence on a conviction for driving under the influence in Olympia. He was arrested by police last week after they learned about his outstanding warrant.

source

Also of Interest: Why Mothers Kill To Be Free
Leah Andrews Murders Baby While On Vacation
Pregnant Woman Bludgeoned In Her Bed



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