Student charged in newborn's death; Casey Anthony images found on phone
Student charged in newborn's death; Casey Anthony images found on phone
Ashley Varese, Frank Fernandez and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY NETWORKWed, April 8, 2026 at 1:35 PM UTC
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A Florida college student has been indicted by a grand jury on murder charges after authorities said she admitted to giving birth unexpectedly and watching while the infant cried and drowned in a toilet.
Anne Mae Demegillo, a 21-year-old Palm Coast woman, was first arrested in March for aggravated manslaughter of a child and was released on bond. On April 6, she was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and failure to report a death with intent to conceal the death or alter evidence, authorities said. A judge ordered her held without bond on the first-degree murder charge, reported the Daytona Beach News-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
In the last month of investigation, authorities said they found evidence that this was "premeditated murder."
Investigators found searches on Demegillo’s phone for “newborn premature babies,” “Palm Coast OBGYN” and “foods to decrease fertility.” They also found images of Casey Anthony, who was acquitted in her 2-year-old daughter's death, and newborn babies, "which suggest searches on the death of a child and subsequent investigation," the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
“This is one of those tragic cases that shock you to your core that a mother would allow a newborn to die because the newborn was a distraction to her life,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “It’s hard to comprehend how a mother would choose to watch their infant drown instead of lifting the baby out of the toilet."
USA TODAY has reached out to an attorney listed in court records as representing Demegillo.
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Anne Mae Demegillo was indicted on additional charges, including first-degree murder, April 6, 2026. She's pictured here entering a courtroom, March 12, 2026. Demegillo is accused of giving birth to a baby in a toilet and letting her drown before burying the body in the backyard.Woman said she left infant's body in a duffel bag
Demegillo told detectives that she didn't know she was pregnant, and unexpectedly gave birth at home the morning of March 5, then watched her newborn drown in the toilet, according to the sheriff's office.
"She reported watching the infant moving inside the toilet with its head partially submerged, hearing it cry, and waiting until it stopped moving and crying," an arrest affidavit said.
She said after she believed the infant was no longer alive, she placed the baby's body in a duffel bag in her closet, according to the arrest affidavit. She left the house, went to class at Daytona State College and a theater performance, then returned later that day and buried the baby girl in the backyard of her home, authorities said.
She messaged a friend on social media, who contacted the sheriff's office for a welfare check at about 4 a.m. on March 6. Deputies found the body of a baby girl weighing 3 pounds, 6 ounces and measuring 18.7 inches long, the sheriff's office said. The baby was wrapped in a towel and buried beneath 4 to 5 inches of dirt.
Demegillo told authorities she knew what she did was wrong and needed to be held accountable, Chief Deputy Commander Joseph Barile previously said, according to the News-Journal.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Student accused of watching newborn drown, having Casey Anthony pics
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