The mother of a newborn found dead at a college sorority house has now been charged in the baby’s death.
Emile Weaver, 20 was charged with aggravated murder, abuse of a corpse, and two counts of tampering with evidence on Thursday in the death of her newborn child.
“The child was born less than a day,” Muskingum County Prosecutor Michael Haddox, said.
The baby was found near the Delta Gamma Theta sorority house on the 100 block of Lakeside Drive on the Muskingum campus in New Concord in April.
Haddox said the baby was born alive, before being placed in a trash bag where the child died of asphyxiation.
Haddox offered new details into the tampering with evidence charges.
“She concealed or removed blood and or placenta,” Haddox said. “She removed or concealed the body of the baby.”
Haddox would not talk specifics on Weaver, if she cooperated with law enforcement or if she gave a possible reason for the death of her baby.
Haddox did say he would like to stress the significance of the Safe Haven Law, which allows mothers to drop off a baby within 30 days of birth to any emergency room, law enforcement officer, or firefighter, no questions asked.
“If there’s any good that can come out of a case like that we would hope that it’s the public getting more knowledge on that law,” Haddox said. “There are other alternatives than a newborn ending up dead.”
If convicted, Weaver could spend life in prison without the possibility of parole. Her arraignment has been scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, at 11 a.m.
It is the second time a newborn has died from asphyxiation at the school.
In 2002, student Jennifer Bryant was sentenced to three years in prison in connection with her baby's death, but was released after just seven months.