On Friday morning, 25-year-old Taylor Blaha entered her guilty plea in Webster County District Court. She was initially charged with first-degree murder and set to go to trial next month.

Following her guilty plea, Blaha waived any delay in sentencing and asked to be sentenced immediately. District Court Judge Christopher Polking sentenced her to up to 50 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum time served of 35 years, which is the statutory mandatory sentence for second-degree murder under Iowa Code.

“A parent is entrusted to protect, nurture and care for their child,” Polking said to Blaha during sentencing. “You betrayed that trust and instead murdered a helpless newborn baby. While your sentence is mandatory, considering the nature and circumstances of the offense and the need to protect the community and deter others from such crimes, the sentence is still appropriate in the eyes of the court.”

Blaha was arrested last December alongside her boyfriend, Brandon Thoma, 32, after she told investigators that she had given birth to a baby at home, drowned it and that Thoma disposed of the remains. Thoma and Blaha have another child together.

According to criminal complaints and other court documents, law enforcement were notified on Nov. 22, 2022, by an employee of the Iowa Department of Human Services about a baby that was born at home and buried at an unknown location. Then-Detective Amy Stringer, who was at the time with the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, met with Blaha in an inpatient room at UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center.

Blaha told Stringer that she began having contractions on Nov. 16, and a short while later gave birth while sitting on the toilet in their apartment’s bathroom. Blaha said that while she was in labor in the bathroom, Thoma offered her a methamphetamine pipe to relieve the pain.

On Friday, to establish the factual basis for the guilty plea, Blaha had to state exactly what her criminal actions were. She stated:

“On Nov. 16, 2022, in Webster County, Iowa, I gave birth in my apartment to a baby girl. She was born alive. Around the time she was born, I was using methamphetamine. Brandon Thoma convinced me that if DHS found out about my meth use, they would take my son from me and I would never see him again. He convinced me that the only way out of this was to drown the baby in the bathtub. He told me what to do and how to do it. When I tried to take my hands off her, he would put my hands back on her and encourage me to keep going. She died as a result.”

Thoma and Blaha have admitted that after the infant was killed, Thoma put the remains in a backpack and left their apartment in downtown Fort Dodge to dispose of the remains at an unknown location. After law enforcement were notified of the homicide, the Fort Dodge Police Department mounted a massive search operation, enlisting help from several local, state and federal agencies to search the downtown area as well as the North Central Iowa Regional Solid Waste Agency’s landfill. Webster County Crime Stoppers has offered a $1,500 reward for information that leads to the recovery of the infant’s remains. No remains have been located.

Thoma was also charged with first-degree murder, as well as an additional charge of abuse of a corpse. On July 26, he pleaded guilty to an amended charge of felony child endangerment resulting in death and abuse of a corpse. In his plea hearing, Thoma told the court that he had put the infant’s remains in a trashcan a block from the Wahkonsa Manor.

According to Assistant Attorney General Ryan Baldridge, who was the first assistant Webster County Attorney when the investigation began, the prosecution and Blaha entered a plea agreement a few months ago for Blaha to plead guilty to the lesser-included offense of second-degree murder in exchange for her cooperation in the trial against Thoma. Although Thoma pleaded guilty to charges in his own case last month, the state is still obligated to adhere to the terms of the agreement with Blaha.

“This case and that of the co-defendant, Brandon Thoma, is certainly heartbreaking,” Baldridge said after Blaha’s sentencing. “It’s difficult and tragic any time a life is lost, but in this instance that life was as innocent and as helpless as they come. The agreement with Blaha permitted the state to have a solid case against Thoma while also ensuring that Blaha suffered a consequence for her abhorrent conduct.”

As part of her sentencing, Blaha will be required to pay $150,000 in restitution to the heirs at law of the deceased infant, whom she called Kayleen Blaha.

Thoma’s sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 1. As part of his plea agreement, the state and the defense jointly recommend a 20-year minimum on the 50-year sentence and for the two sentences to run concurrently, or at the same time. Thoma will also be required to pay $150,000 in victim restitution.