Overview

• Rodney Staude pleaded guilty to second-degree murder minutes before his daughter’s hearing, and Judge Charles Sinnard then sentenced both in Warren County District Court.
• Under their plea agreements, both Megan and Rodney Staude are eligible for parole after serving 35 years of their 50-year terms.
• In court, Rodney admitted they put the baby into a bag and drove to the country where they dumped him in a roadside ditch.
• Court records say Megan gave birth at home in February 2023 and provided no care for the newborn for two days, later giving conflicting accounts until a tip from coworkers led investigators to the body.
• Prosecutor Douglas Eichholz said the baby was discarded and noted Megan knew of Safe Haven options that were not used, as the child’s father delivered a statement describing his grief.