Missouri mother, 25, 'suffocated' newborn twins with towel and blanket and tried to pass them off as stillborn
A mother from Missouri, who claimed that her newborn twins were stillborn, has reportedly been charged with their murder. The news came to light after officers were called to the 2100 block of Rountree Drive on January 8 to check on the children. The St. Louis County police officers arrived at the scene to find the newborns, a boy and a girl, dead at the scene.
Reports state that the mother, identified by authorities as Maya Caston, was the one who called the officers. Caston told them that she went into labor unexpectedly and gave birth to the two infants who turned out to be stillborn.
However, after police launched an investigation into the case, they found out that the mother had provided a false account of the incident. The authorities concluded that the babies had been carried to full term and were born between January 6 and January 8, up to two days before the 25-year-old called the police, according to charging documents.
The investigation also concluded that neither of the babies were stillborn, according to KSDK. It was also later revealed that the mother probably suffocated and killed her children before calling the police, according to reports.
"She covered their mouths and noses with a towel and blanket, concealed them, and failed to seek medical attention. Both babies died as a result," local media reported the probable cause statement as saying.
The mother has reportedly been charged with two counts of second-degree murder (by suffocation) and two counts of abuse or neglect of a child. The 25-year-old is currently being held on a $500,000 cash-bond. Reports state that 10 percent of the bond payment will not be permitted in her case. It is not yet known whether she had a lawyer who could speak on her behalf.