A Missouri woman has been convicted of murdering her newborn twins and trying to claim they were stillborn.
Maya Caston was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of child abuse before being found guilty of lesser charges of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and two counts of second-degree misdemeanor child endangerment. In her testimony during the trial, she said she had attempted to hide the pregnancy and had been searching for information on abortion facilities. Eventually, she gave birth and said she wrapped the babies in towels and placed them on her bed.
“I was in shock,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Yet Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Dittmeier argued that the evidence proved she didn’t want the babies to survive. “We have two dead babies. She didn’t want them. She didn’t care for them,” he said during closing arguments. “She didn’t even give them a name.”
In addition to researching abortion information, Caston tried to find out how to cause a miscarriage. In the 24 hours after giving birth, she did a web search to learn if you can bury a baby in a garden. Medical examiners said the babies were also not fed, washed, or given medical care before they died.
“She knew it was wrong,” Dittmeier said. “Which is why she concocted they were stillborn. It’s a sad situation, but it’s still murder.”
Like most states, Missouri has a safe haven law allowing parents to safely and anonymously surrender newborns without any fear of prosecution. According to Missouri Law, parents have up to 45 days to leave them with a law enforcement officer, an EMT, a firefighter, any health care staff, or at a hospital, maternity home, or pregnancy center.
Also spreading across the country are Safe Haven Baby Boxes. These temperature-controlled boxes are accessible from outside the building, and trigger a silent alarm, notifying authorities as soon as the baby is placed inside. The boxes are installed outside of either a fire station or a hospital. The interior door allows the baby to be retrieved safely while giving the parent absolute anonymity — and the ability to safely surrender a baby without resorting to abandonment or murder.
