ROCKFORD (AP) – A northern Illinois woman charged with murder in the death of a newborn girl is likely the mother of two other infants found dead in the trunk of an impounded vehicle registered to her, authorities said.
Winnebago County Coroner Sue Fiduccia said Thursday the babies are thought to be female and are not twins. She said it’s not clear if the babies were born alive, and that more testing will be done.
The remains of the infants were found Aug. 12 at a South Beloit impound yard where the vehicle had been sitting for about a year. Authorities said two skeletons were wrapped in cloth and stuffed in separate plastic bags.
The woman, 28-year-old Katie Stockton of Rockton, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of a newborn girl called Baby Crystal, who was found frozen in December 2004 along a road near the home of Stockton’s parents.
Stockton was arrested Aug. 5 in Merriam, Kan., by FBI fugitive task force members. She has pleaded not guilty. Police have said they have evidence Stockton is the mother of Baby Crystal.
Authorities say they believe the two infants were born after Baby Crystal, but they don’t know exactly when.