Murder Charge After Shocking Daycare Discovery

Empty courtroom with wooden benches and judge's bench — Photo: B Brown / Shutterstock

Police say a daycare worker gave birth in a bathroom at work, then her newborn was found dead in a trash bag at the facility.

Story Snapshot

Police charged a 20-year-old daycare worker with first-degree murder after a newborn was found in a trash bag at the center.
Reports say she admitted injuring the baby’s face to stop the crying, pointing to intent alleged by investigators.
A criminal complaint described a rapid bathroom birth and the later discovery of the infant in facility trash.
The state medical examiner ruled the death a homicide and reported multiple injuries on the body.

Police Account of What Happened at the Daycare

Perry, Iowa police said they arrested daycare employee Stephanie Ubaldo after a newborn was discovered dead in a trash bag at Acorns & Oaks Child Care. Officers said the discovery came shortly after the woman gave birth in a restroom at the workplace. The Des Moines Register reported that police charged Ubaldo with first-degree murder, the state’s most serious homicide offense, soon after the infant was found inside the facility.

Local coverage that cited investigators said Ubaldo admitted she injured the baby’s face to stop the crying. That reported statement is central to the state’s theory about intent. Police accounts also placed the body inside daycare trash soon after the birth. Raccoon Valley Radio summarized the criminal complaint as stating the birth occurred in the restroom within 10 to 20 minutes, and that staff later located the bag with the deceased infant.

Evidence Cited by Investigators and Medical Examiner

Raccoon Valley Radio reported the Iowa State Medical Examiner found the infant was about 32 to 36 weeks gestational age and had multiple injuries across the body. The outlet said the death was ruled a homicide, which supports the charging decision. Those reported findings, together with the alleged admission about injuring the baby to stop crying, form the backbone of the prosecution narrative at this stage of the case.

People magazine reported that the Perry Police Department announced the first-degree murder charge in a news release, reinforcing that authorities view the facts as meeting the legal bar for intent or premeditation under Iowa law. First-degree murder in Iowa is a Class A felony and signals the state’s belief that the core elements can be proven. The complaint’s account of birth in a bathroom and concealment in a trash bag adds context to the state’s theory.

Why This Case Resonates Beyond One Tragic Event

This case lands at a sensitive crossroads: trust in childcare, the safety of infants, and how the system investigates perinatal deaths. Media and court records in similar cases show that cause of death and intent can hinge on forensic details and expert review. Forensic guidance stresses that autopsy, tissue studies, toxicology, and clinical context often decide whether a death was natural, accidental, or inflicted, because there are rarely eyewitnesses in such moments.

A 20-yr-old daycare worker in Iowa charged w/ murder after giving birth in a bathroom at the work sept. 15th, fatally injuring her newborn daughter to silence her cries, & stuffing the infant into a trash bag in a garbage can.

— Rick Shore (@RickShore7) September 20, 2026

Parents and taxpayers see another sign that key systems feel brittle. Families want careful vetting of childcare workers and clear safety rules. Communities also want fair, thorough investigations that balance urgency with accuracy. When a state medical examiner rules homicide and police cite an admission, people expect swift action. At the same time, high-stakes infant cases demand precise science and due process to ensure justice is both fast and correct.