A Wilmington woman has been charged with desecration of her infant daughter, who was born in a toilet and then buried in a beer box.

On Saturday, Nicole Pokrzywa, 36, was transported to the Will County jail on a charge of desecration of a corpse following an investigation of the incident by the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

Pokryzwa is the mother of an infant who was found Friday buried on a property in the 1900 block of Roberts Street, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

William Cosmen, 38, of Manhattan also was taken to jail on a charge of desecration of a corpse. He is a former boyfriend of Pokryzwa and it is not known whether he is the father of the child, Will County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Dan Jungles said.

A DNA test is needed to confirm Cosmen’s relation, Jungles said.

The cause of the infant’s death is not known. Jungles said additional testing is needed to help to determine the cause of death.

A forensic pathologist determined the child was between 22 to 27 weeks old, according to the sheriff’s office.

The investigation began Thursday when sheriff’s detectives learned of an infant who was possibly buried on the Roberts Street property, police said.

“Detectives learned that in October of 2024, a [now] 36-year-old female had given birth to a child, and the remains of the infant were buried on the Roberts Road property. Detectives further learned that the mother of the infant was believed to be six to eight months pregnant at the time of the birth,” police said.

Detectives learned the infant’s remains were marked with a large rock on top of the burial site and secured a search warrant for the Roberts Street property, police said.

On Friday, deputies took Pokryzwa and Cosmen into custody. Crime scene investigators dug about 2 feet into the ground and found what appeared to be an “Old-Style Beer box,” police said.

The remains of an infant were found inside of the box wrapped in a plastic bag and cloth, police said.

Pokryzwa and Cosmen were interviewed by detectives and the two allegedly made “incriminating statements” regarding the burying of the infant.

“Both suspects indicated that Nicole gave birth to the infant at a residence located on the 400 Block of North Street in Manhattan. Nicole and William indicated that the infant was born in a toilet, and William attempted to dispose of the body by forcing the body down the toilet drain with a plunger,” police said.

Pokryzwa and Cosmen allegedly “realized that the infant’s body” would not fit down the drain and left the deceased infant inside the toilet overnight, police said.

The infant was described weighing 5 to 7 pounds at the time of delivery, police said. The infant was later removed from the toilet and wrapped in a plastic bag and green shirt and transported to the Roberts Road residence in Wilmington, police said.

“Nicole and William stated that a hole was dug that was approximately 3 feet wide by 4 feet deep, and the remains were placed in the hole,” police said.

The investigation remains ongoing, police said.

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