A Florida college student accused of watching her newborn daughter drown in a toilet allegedly had photos of Casey Anthony, who was acquitted of first-degree murder in the disappearance of her infant child, on her phone, police say.
Anne Mae Demegillo, a 20-year-old from Palm Coast whose newborn died March 5, was arrested the next day for aggravated manslaughter and initially released on $250,000 bond. After further investigation, a grand jury on Monday indicted her on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and concealing the death.
Demegillo turned herself in at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and is now in custody without bond pending a court hearing, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.
During the investigation, detectives say that Demegillo had used her phone to search for terms such as “newborn premature babies,” “Palm Coast OBGYN” and “foods to decrease fertility.”
Investigators also discovered that her phone held images of Anthony, who was acquitted of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, in a high-profile trial that captivated the country. She was, however, convicted of lying to police.
Demegillo is also accused of having numerous photos of newborn babies on her phone. Authorities say these searches and images indicate she may have been researching topics related to the death of a child and how such cases are investigates, Fox13 reports.
“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,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement.
“It’s hard to comprehend how a mother would choose to watch their infant drown instead of lifting the baby out of the toilet. I commend our investigators who followed every lead and our Digital Forensics team that uncovered the digital evidence to prove this tragic case was a premeditated murder. I thank our State Attorney, R.J. Larizza, and his office for reviewing the facts of our investigation and the Grand Jury for doing a very difficult job,” he added.
Deputies say Demegillo led them to a shallow backyard grave after giving birth the day before and watching her newborn daughter, weighing 3 pounds 6 ounces, die. She allegedly stored the baby in a duffel bag in her closet to perform at a theater.
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