Iowa Father & Daughter Charged with Murder in Death of Newborn

A father and daughter in central Iowa have been arrested and charged with the murder of a newborn baby.

According to the Norwalk Police Department, they were contacted by someone with concerns for a child's safety on Wednesday, March 8. The police department, along with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, began looking into the concerns. The following day, on Thursday, March 9, professional volunteer searchers as well as law enforcement officers found a deceased newborn baby in the 5300 block of Delaware Street. The child's body was found along the road in Warren County in central Iowa.

The Norwalk Police Department says during the course of their investigation, they determined that 25-year-old Megan Staude of Norwalk had given birth to a baby at home near the end of February. Norwalk Police allege that with the help of her father, 64-year-old Rodney Staude, the child was left to die. Its body was then put along Delaware Street.

Results of an autopsy on the baby's body are pending from the Office of the State Medical Examiner.

Megan Staude and Rodney Staude have both been arrested. They are each charged with First-Degree Murder.

We will update this story as more information becomes available.

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