Megan Staude's infant son did not die because of a lack of community support, Warren County Attorney Doug Eichholz said.

The baby, just days old, was found dead in a roadside ditch outside Norwalk in March 2023. Police charged the mother and grandfather, Megan and Rodney Staude, with first-degree murder, accusing them of putting the baby still alive in a garbage bag and leaving him.

On Monday, Sept. 22, both Staudes were sentenced to 50 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 35 years before parole, after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. Eichholz told the judge the crime was the most "senseless" he'd seen, particularly since so many people had tried to prevent this outcome.

"The people in her orbit, the people around her, did everything they could to make a difference i

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