Mom wrapped 'barely breathing' baby boy in towel and stashed him on closet shelf instead of calling for help: Cops

Background: The Linn County Correctional Center successful Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Linn County government). Inset: Margaret Conant (Linn County Correctional Center).

A pistillate is down bars successful Iowa aft authorities accidental she wrapped her baby successful a towel arsenic helium was "barely breathing" earlier his death.

Margaret Conant, 39, has been charged with child endangerment causing the important hazard of bodily wounded and a prohibited enactment involving a medicine cause violation, according to jailhouse records reviewed by Law&Crime. She is lodged successful the Linn County Correctional Center connected a $5,000 bond.

On Dec. 31, 2025, the Marion Police Department went to Conant's location implicit a study astir an unconscious and unresponsive newborn, per a transgression ailment obtained by The Gazette, a section newspaper. Upon arrival, officers recovered a dormant babe boy.

Police began investigating, and they reportedly learned that Conant had fixed commencement 2 days before. The suspect said the babe was "barely breathing" and had lone made sounds for astir a infinitesimal aft helium was born, authorities said.

Instead of calling for help, Conant allegedly wrapped the child, referred to arsenic "C.C.," successful a towel, placed him successful a container and past moved that container onto a closet shelf. He nary longer made immoderate sounds, she seemingly added successful comments to police.

The probe continued, with an autopsy determining that C.C. was calved astatine astir 25 to 26 weeks of gestation, the paper reported. Authorities said they learned the suspect had ordered termination pills from an online work called "Women connected Web" connected Dec. 21, 2025, 10 days earlier her child's death.

Conant allegedly admitted to lying astir her past menstrual play successful bid to get the pills mifepristone and misoprostol.

Nick Maybanks with the Linn County Prosecutor's Office told determination ABC affiliate KCRG that the lawsuit was analyzable and, arsenic a result, it took astir a twelvemonth to bring charges. He said prosecutors recovered grounds specified arsenic accusation downloaded from her telephone to determine charges were necessary.

The authoritative added that it's not wide if contiguous aesculapian attraction would person saved the child.

Conant was booked into jailhouse connected Wednesday.

The station Mom wrapped 'barely breathing' babe lad successful towel and stashed him connected closet support alternatively of calling for help: Cops archetypal appeared connected Law & Crime.