PALM COAST, Fla. — A 20-year-old college student was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child after authorities say she gave birth at home, watched her newborn die, then buried the infant in her backyard before performing in a theater production.
Anne Mae Demegillo was arrested Friday after the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office received a 4 a.m. welfare check call from someone who said Demegillo had sent social media messages claiming she had secretly been pregnant and gave birth at home. The caller told dispatchers the messages suggested the baby was born alive and crying, but that Demegillo had done something to the newborn. Deputies found the infant’s body buried in a shallow grave behind Demegillo’s home on Florida Park Drive, requiring only four to five inches of dirt removal to locate the remains.
According to investigators, Demegillo gave birth in her bathroom toilet around 3 a.m. Thursday after experiencing severe abdominal pain. Chief Deputy Joe Barile said during a Friday press conference that Demegillo “sees it in the toilet, leaves it there, watches it, hears it cry, and waits until it stops crying and moving.” After the infant died, she allegedly placed the body in a duffel bag in her closet and continued with her normal routine. Demegillo then traveled to the Little Theatre in New Smyrna Beach, where she performed as the character Virtue in the musical “Anything Goes.” Her mother was reportedly home during the birth, though authorities have not said whether she was aware of what occurred.
When Demegillo returned home around 10 p.m. Thursday, she allegedly buried the infant wrapped in a towel in the backyard. The baby was a girl weighing 3 pounds, 6 ounces and measuring 18 inches long, according to authorities. Detectives from the sheriff’s Major Case Unit and Crime Scene Investigation determined that Demegillo “knowingly and purposefully allowed the newborn to drown in the toilet,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. At no point did Demegillo contact emergency services for assistance, investigators said. When questioned by deputies, she claimed she was not sure she was pregnant until she began delivering the child and thought the baby had died.
The case highlights Florida’s Safe Haven Law, which allows parents who cannot care for a newborn to safely surrender the child at any fire station, hospital or police station without facing prosecution. Parents can place newborns in secure, climate-controlled boxes at designated locations without having to interact with anyone face-to-face. Fire Station 25 in Palm Coast was equipped with such a safe haven box in September. “Florida law allows you to bring a child at birth to a local fire station, hospital or law enforcement agency and surrender the child,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement. “That is a much better solution than what we are investigating today — for everyone involved, but most importantly the infant who was prevented from the life they deserve.”
Demegillo appeared before a Flagler County judge Saturday morning and was denied bond. She was appointed a public defender and remains in the Flagler County Jail while awaiting her next court appearance. The specific college Demegillo attends was not disclosed by authorities. Chief Deputy Barile noted that Demegillo showed no sadness or remorse during questioning. “It baffles me, to be completely honest,” Barile said. “Sometimes you can’t explain everything.” Sheriff Staly called the case “a heartbreaking tragedy for our community, for the family involved, and an emotionally difficult case for our team.”
The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities asking anyone with relevant information to contact the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office at 386-313-4911. Demegillo has not entered a plea to the aggravated manslaughter charge, and it was unclear when her next court date would be scheduled. The case underscores the resources available to parents in crisis situations and the legal alternatives to abandonment under Florida law.
