Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
A new arraignment was held today for Beatriz Cuautle, 29, of Warsaw - this time the charge is murder.
Officials amended the charge against Cuautle on Friday, changing the offense from voluntary manslaughter, a Class B felony, to murder and revoking the chance for Cuautle to post bond. Prior to amending the charge, Cuautle was being held on $100,000 bond.
The murder charge carries a possible prison term of 45 to 65 years. Cuautle could have been sentenced to six to 20 years in prison if convicted of the manslaughter charge.
Kosciusko County Prosecutor Charles Waggoner said Friday that the decision to change the charge against Cuautle was made after the preliminary report from the autopsy of Cuautle's newborn daughter was received and evaluated. Cuautle has been in the Kosciusko County Jail since Tuesday.
Cuautle allegedly gave birth Oct. 21 to the baby girl in a toilet of a bathroom at Kralis Brothers Foods Inc., Mentone, and then placed it in a trash can. An autopsy revealed the infant died from asphyxiation due to suffocation. Kosciusko County Coroner Larry Ladd ruled the death a homicide.
According to court and police documents, the infant's head was wrapped several times with gauze and a large wad of white paper, believed to be toilet paper, was found in the infant's mouth. The wad of paper was larger than a golf ball and that the material wrapped around the baby's face was tightly wound and had to be cut off for an emergency worker to attempt resuscitation.
The infant's body was reportedly found in the the trash after Cuautle had been in the room for about two hours. Co-workers reported Cuautle complained of being ill the morning of the incident.
A motive for the death has not been revealed.
Cuautle is the mother of four other daughters, three of whom live in Mexico, according to police.
Rosie Meza DeNuttle of Elkhart is Cuautle's court-appointed attorney.
