 and Brandon Thoma (left) drowned their newborn daughter to hide that the mother had used methamphetamine, she admitted (Pictures: AP) A mother who admitted to drowning her newborn baby in a bathtub to hide that she was using methamphetamine has been sentenced to a half century in prison. Taylor Blaha, 24, changed her plea to guilty in an Iowa courtroom after admitting to killing her daughter Kayleen Lee Blaha shortly after she was born to hide meth in the infant's sytem. Blaha and Kayleen's father, Brandon Thoma, 31, allegedly wrapped the newborn in garbage bags after she was killed and put her in a backpack, per court documents. Surveillance footage showed Thoma leaving an apartment with a backpack with a large object and returning 20 minutes later with an empty bag. 'Around the time she was born, I was using methamphetamine,' Blaha said on Friday morning, according to KCCI. Taylor Blaha has been sentenced to 50 years in prison (Credits: AP) 'Brandon Thoma convinced me that if DHS (Department of Homeland Security) found out about my meth use, they would take my son from me, and I would never see him again. 'He convinced me that the only way out of this was to drown the baby in the bathtub.' Kayleen was born on November 16 and her body still has not been found. Blaha had told Webster County sheriff's detective Amy Stringer that she and Thoma did not want their two-year-old son to be taken away from them if it was discovered that Thoma gave her meth to 'ease' the pain while giving birth to Kayleen. Brandon Thoma is scheduled to be sentenced in September (Credits: AP) The couple had planned to have a family member adopt Kayleen because they did not want to raise another child together, according to Blaha. Blaha pleaded guilty to second-degree murder at the Webster County Courthouse and requested an immediate sentence. A judge gave her 50 years in prison with a possibility for parole after 35 years behind bars. Meanwhile, Thoma was initially charge){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
A mother who admitted to drowning her newborn baby in a bathtub to hide that she was using methamphetamine has been sentenced to a half century in prison.
Taylor Blaha, 24, changed her plea to guilty in an Iowa courtroom after admitting to killing her daughter Kayleen Lee Blaha shortly after she was born to hide meth in the infant’s sytem.
Blaha and Kayleen’s father, Brandon Thoma, 31, allegedly wrapped the newborn in garbage bags after she was killed and put her in a backpack, per court documents. Surveillance footage showed Thoma leaving an apartment with a backpack with a large object and returning 20 minutes later with an empty bag.
‘Around the time she was born, I was using methamphetamine,’ Blaha said on Friday morning, according to KCCI.