Background: The Linn County Correctional Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Linn County government). Inset: Margaret Conant (Linn County Correctional Center).
A woman is behind bars in Iowa after authorities say she wrapped her baby in a towel as he was "barely breathing" before his death.
Margaret Conant, 39, has been charged with child endangerment causing the substantial risk of bodily injury and a prohibited act involving a prescription drug violation, according to jail records reviewed by Law&Crime. She is lodged in the Linn County Correctional Center on a $5,000 bond.
On Dec. 31, 2025, the Marion Police Department went to Conant's home over a report about an unconscious and unresponsive newborn, per a criminal complaint obtained by The Gazette, a local newspaper. Upon arrival, officers found a dead baby boy.
Police began investigating, and they reportedly learned that Conant had given birth two days before. The defendant said the baby was "barely breathing" and had only made sounds for about a minute after he was born, authorities said.
Instead of calling for help, Conant allegedly wrapped the child, referred to as "C.C.," in a towel, placed him in a bag and then moved that bag onto a closet shelf. He no longer made any sounds, she apparently added in comments to police.
The investigation continued, with an autopsy determining that C.C. was born at about 25 to 26 weeks of gestation, the newspaper reported. Authorities said they learned the defendant had ordered abortion pills from an online service called "Women on Web" on Dec. 21, 2025, 10 days before her child's death.
Conant allegedly admitted to lying about her last menstrual period in order to obtain the pills mifepristone and misoprostol.
Nick Maybanks with the Linn County Prosecutor's Office told regional ABC affiliate KCRG that the case was complex and, as a result, it took nearly a year to bring charges. He said prosecutors found evidence such as information downloaded from her phone to decide charges were necessary.
The prosecutor added that it's not clear if immediate medical care would have saved the child.
Conant was booked into jail on Wednesday.
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