From the Daily Caller: A Florida college student allegedly stuffed her newborn in a duffel bag after giving birth in a toilet and took the stage at a local theater hours later.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) arrested Anne Mae Demegillo, 20, of Palm Coast on the afternoon of March. 6 after a death investigation, the agency said in a public statement. Deputies responded to her home after a caller told dispatchers around 4 a.m. that Demegillo had messaged her about a concealed pregnancy and unexpected birth. The caller alleged that “Demegillo had done something to the infant.”
Demegillo claimed she felt serious abdominal pain starting around 3 a.m. March 5 before giving birth in the bathroom toilet, the FCSO said. She allegedly said she believed the baby was already dead so she placed the body in a duffel bag inside her closet and went about her day. She attended a theater performance in New Smyrna Beach and later buried the infant in a shallow backyard grave after returning home, officials alleged. She never reached out to emergency services at any point, according to the agency.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office shared the sickening details in a Facebook post on Friday:
𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is arresting a Palm Coast woman this afternoon following an investigation into the death of a newborn infant.
Around 4 a.m. on Friday, March 6, the Flagler County Emergency Communications Center received a call requesting a welfare check on an adult female, identified as Anne Mae Demegillo, 20, of Palm Coast. The caller informed dispatchers that Demegillo had sent messages to the caller stating that she had secretly been pregnant and had unexpectedly given birth at home. The message indicated that Demegillo’s baby was born alive and crying, but Demegillo had done something to the infant.
When deputies arrived on scene, they met with Demegillo, who told deputies that she was not sure she was pregnant but began experiencing severe abdominal pain around 3:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 5, and later delivered the child in her bathroom toilet.
Demegillo claimed she thought the infant was deceased, so she hid the infant in a duffle bag in her closet and went about her normal daily routine. When Demegillo returned home from a theater performance in New Smyrna Beach, she decided to bury the deceased infant in a shallow grave in her backyard. At no point did Demegillo contact emergency services for assistance.
Following the investigation by FCSO’s Major Case Unit and Crime Scene Investigation, detectives determined that Demegillo knowingly and purposefully allowed the newborn to drown in the toilet.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy for our community, for the family involved, and an emotionally difficult case for our team,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “I want to remind our community, especially our expectant mothers: Florida law allows you to bring a child at birth to a local fire station, hospital or law enforcement agency and surrender the child. 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. May God bless this infant and hold and comfort the baby in his loving hands with the love the baby never received on earth.”
Under Florida’s Safe Haven Law, parents who cannot care for a newborn may safely surrender the child at any fire station, hospital or police station. Palm Coast’s Safe Haven Baby Box allows for complete anonymity and is located at Fire Station 25 which was activated on September 30, 2025. Parents can quietly and safely place their newborn inside the secure, climate-controlled box without having to interact with anyone face-to-face.
Demegillo will be charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and later transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility for processing.
The investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office at 386-313-4911.
Sheriff Rick Staly said in a press conference on Monday that Demegillo left the baby in the toilet till it drowned, and admitted to investigators that she wished at the time that the baby would hurry up and die.
Staly said Demegillo claimed she didn’t know she was pregnant, but “we don’t necessarily believe that.”
He said it’s one of the saddest cases of his entire 51-year career.
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