She knew the baby was alive.
She watched her daughter move her tiny hands.
And then she walked outside, placed her newborn in the grass, and went to work.
That is what authorities in Pennsylvania say 20-year-old Jordyn Kauffman did on the morning of May 14 — and the reason they say she did it will leave you speechless.
She Was Terrified of Her Father
Investigators say Kauffman gave birth alone at her home in McVeytown, Pennsylvania around 9:30 that morning. She held the baby for about half an hour. The child was breathing. She was alive.
But Kauffman allegedly walked back inside, left for work a couple of hours later, and said nothing to anyone.
When authorities later asked why, she reportedly admitted she knew what she did was wrong — but she was afraid her father would disown her if he found out she had been pregnant.
The Baby Was Found the Next Day
The following morning, Kauffman’s father took her to Geisinger Lewistown Hospital because she was bleeding. Even then, she allegedly told hospital staff she had never been pregnant and had no children.
But hospital workers remembered her. She had come in during the fall of 2025 saying she did not want to be pregnant. She had missed every prenatal appointment after that.
Pennsylvania State Police were called. They went to her home.
Outside in the grass, they found the infant — unclothed, umbilical cord still attached, dead.
“This Was Not a Peaceful Death”
The Mifflin County Coroner’s Office confirmed the child had been born alive. She died from injuries caused by insects and prolonged exposure to the elements after being left outside overnight.
“This was not a peaceful or natural death,” the coroner’s office said. “There are some investigations that stay with you — and this is one of them.”
A placenta was found about 50 feet away, inside a trash bag.
She Now Faces Murder Charges
Kauffman, 20, has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, concealing the death of a child, and abuse of a corpse.
She is being held in Mifflin County Prison without bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for this week.
Authorities are still searching for the baby’s father.
