Iowa Daycare Worker Charged With First-Degree Murder After Newborn Found Dead in Trash Bag

A 20-year-old Iowa woman has been charged with first-degree murder after her newborn daughter was found dead inside a trash bag at the child care center where she worked.

The investigation began on the afternoon of September 15, 2026, when Dallas County Emergency Medical Services was called to Acorns & Oaks Child Care in Perry after receiving a report of a woman experiencing significant vaginal bleeding. The woman, later identified as Stephanie Ubaldo, was transported to a Des Moines-area hospital for treatment.

About an hour and a half later, Perry police received a report that a premature infant might be inside a trash container at the facility. Officers arrived and found a deceased baby girl inside a trash bag. Police later confirmed that Ubaldo was the infant’s mother.

According to the criminal complaint, Ubaldo told investigators that she had given birth in a bathroom at the child care facility. Court records allege that after the baby began crying, Ubaldo intentionally caused injuries to the infant’s face in an attempt to stop the crying. She then allegedly placed the newborn inside a trash bag. These statements are allegations contained in charging documents and have not been established at trial.

Investigators also alleged that Ubaldo had known she was pregnant for several months but had not told anyone. According to court records, she intended to return to work after giving birth but was unable to do so because of the bleeding that prompted the emergency call.

An autopsy cited by local reports determined that the baby had been approximately 32 to 36 weeks’ gestation and had sustained numerous injuries and abrasions. The death was classified as a homicide, according to reports citing the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office.

Two days after the infant was discovered, on September 17, Perry police arrested Ubaldo and charged her with first-degree murder. She was booked into the Dallas County Jail and was being held without bond, according to local reporting.

Authorities have emphasized that the newborn was not enrolled at Acorns & Oaks Child Care and was not a child under the facility’s care. Ubaldo was an employee of the center, but the infant was her own child and was not a client of the daycare.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting Perry police with the case. Police Chief Jim Archer has also reminded the public that Iowa’s Safe Haven law allows an infant up to 90 days old to be safely surrendered at designated locations without prosecution for abandonment.

Source: KCCI