Last Updated: 5:43 p.m.
Anne Mae Demegillo, 20, told detectives that she gave birth to a girl Thursday at her home on Florida Park Drive, unaware that she was pregnant, watched the infant die, hid the baby in a closet, then buried the child in a shallow grave in the backyard.
After Demegillo sent details about what she had done to someone through social media, that individual alerted the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, whose deputies and detectives interviewed Demegillo starting just past 4 this morning.
Demegillo has been charged with aggravated manslaughter and is being held at the Sheriff’s Office in Bunnell before processing, possibly after a trip to a local hospital. The charge is a first degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
“We don’t want this to be a trial by the press for the mother,” Sheriff Rick Staly told FlaglerLive, “but we have to be the voice for this baby who died because that is a crime, and the baby never had a chance. And a mother is supposed to protect that baby. That didn’t occur in this case. But the mother still deserves a fair trial. The family, I’m sure, is devastated at this point, because everything that I’m aware of, they’re a good family. But they now have had a daughter that has made some really bad decisions.”
She had secretly been pregnant and unexpectedly gave birth at home, Chief Deputy Joseph Barile told local media at an afternoon press conference outside the Operations Center in Bunnell this afternoon. “The messages indicated that Demegillo’s baby was born alive and crying, but that Demegillo had done something to the infant.”
Demegillo was hesitant when deputies showed up at her door, but she then spoke to them about the pregnancy and led them to the grave. The baby had been wrapped in a towel and buried under a few inches of dirt. She said she had gone to the bathroom suffering from cramps, ended up delivering the baby in the toilet, where she left the newborn.
“The child had been crying initially, she then had walked away and returned, and the child had stopped crying and moving,” Barile said. Sgt. George Hristakopoulos, who heads the Major Case Unit in the detective division, said “she remained inside the bathroom and watched the child die.” She did not remove the child from the toilet until the child had died.
“At that point,” Barile said, “she hid the infant in a duffel bag in her closet and went about her normal daily routine. She went to her college, did a performance at a theater, and then returned back to the home. At that point, she determined that she needed to bury the child. This was approximately 10 p.m. last night.” The baby was 3 pounds, 6 ounces, 18.7 inches long. She was not given a name.
Demegillo is a student at Daytona State College. She was born in Palm Coast the year her parents bought the house at 137 Florida Park Drive, where the last few days’ events took place.
The only other person in the house was Mae B. Demegillo, 58, Anne Mae’s mother and the homeowner, though it’s not clear whether she was in the house at the time when the incidents unfolded. Her husband, Virgilio Demegillo, 68, is said to be in the merchant marine. Detectives have not yet spoken to him. But numerous questions remain unanswered.
The investigation is ongoing. Staly is at an International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Louisiana on wellness and resiliency of first responders. He has been in contact with Barile and his chief of detectives since shortly after 4 this morning, giving guidance on certain things such as warrants and technology.
Barile described Demegillo as oddly calm in the interviews. She showed no remorse, he said. “Everyone expresses grief and everything in their own way, so I can’t say the reasoning, but I did. I watched some of the interview, and I didn’t see any remorse.
Barile, who struggled to to keep emotion from overcoming him, said “it’s tragic for the child, for everyone.” The case has baffled him. “I don’t understand a lot of the answers she had, but that is what she said has occurred, and that’s where we’re at with the investigation,” he said. “Obviously, we’re going to keep going, keep conducting interviews with everyone involved and see if we can come up with more answers.”
He said Palm Coast has safe haven boxes for parents to anonymously leave a newborn they cannot or don’t wish to care for. The charge is not murder, he said, “because of the fact that, as of now, preliminarily, we can see that the baby was born and left. She did not make any other actions to inflict harm on the baby.” It is nevertheless going to be up to the State Attorney’s Office to file the charge that would be prosecuted. The State Attorney may choose to lower the charge or to increase it. The charge filed today was in consultation with the State Attorney’s Office.
“Since this investigation is still ongoing, I don’t see charges being any lesser, but I would say they could be higher,” the sheriff said. “But that will depend on the facts of the case. So I think the State Attorney and our agency are handling it very appropriately, unlike the Casey Anthony case, if you will, because we’re not overcharging at this point. It just may become a higher charge, but that that will depend on the completion of the investigation.”
Casey Anthony is the Orlando woman indicted on a first degree murder charge in 2009 following the 2008 disappearance and eventual discovery of her infant toddler, Caylee Anthony, deceased and wrapped in a blanket in a wooded area near her Orlando home. Casey Anthony was found not guilty of murder following an often distasteful and sensational media frenzy. She was found guilty of making false statements. (An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported the trial’s outcome.)
“The question is, was there any more to this than what would make it a higher charge than a manslaughter,” Staly said of the Florida Park Drive case. The detectives are seeking to establish whether she knew she was pregnant, whether she had communicated abut it with others, made telling searches on the internet, and so on. “At this point, we don’t believe any of the family members were knowledgeable of what went on.”
The sheriff had a message for the community: “Resources are available if you find yourself in this situation, and Florida law allows you to surrender the child to a hospital, a law enforcement agency or any fire station without questions. And so my my my message to the community is that if you know someone that’s struggling with an unexpected pregnancy, that help is available, and please reach out, because it’s much better, not only for the mother, the family, but also for the birth of the child who sadly lost their life before they could even have anywhere near a full life.”
This article was reported and written by FlaglerLive editor Pierre Tristam. For questions, write [email protected] or call 386/503-3190.
Confused says
Doesn’t negligent homicide exist she left the baby in a toilet I mean come on how hard is it to not put two and two together she danged her didn’t do anything to help the child. I don’t know what’s wrong with people.
V says
If the baby let out a single cry and never moved or did anything, The mother could have been scared, especially if she didn’t know.
Women do not always loose their period, and weight gain differs from person to person. I personally had a 6 pack until 6 months…only went up a size. However I did know I was pregnant.
They say the baby weighed around 3 lbs…
They no longer teach sex ed in these schools like they used to. Matanzas Highschool focuses on abstinence and it seems FPC may do the same, but with a little more info on STD’s from what I have researched.
Was she ever educated on child safety boxes?
Some families, will speak openly about sex at a point (the birds and the bees), but there are people who will never speak about it.
Idk where this case lies, but from the police report it sounds like she was extremely uneducated.
Dee says
All she had to do was bring the baby to the firehouse…
Disgusting and hopefully she is punished
V says
Bring a 3 lb baby to the safety box? The baby needed NICU
Atwp says
Am not God, will not judge. Sad thing is this will stay with the young lady the rest of her life I believe. Sad situation. My question is where is the dad?
Laurel says
Totally agree. Such a very sad story.
virginian says
Probably at sea. Here’s part of the article above:
Her husband, Virgilio Demegillo, 68, is said to be in the merchant marine.
KB says
That’s her father.
TR says
No it’s right in the article “Her husband, Virgilio Demegillo, 68, is said to be in the merchant marine.”
Reading is a great way to understand the truth.
Richard Trotter says
TR.. so her husband and mother have the same last name? You may not want to speak so quickly
Anita says
“The only other person in the house was Mae B. Demegillo, 58, Anne Mae’s mother and the homeowner, though it’s not clear whether she was in the house at the time when the incidents unfolded. Her husband, Virgilio Demegillo, 68, is said to be in the merchant marine. Detectives have not yet spoken to him. But numerous questions remain unanswered.”
The young woman’s surname is Demegillo. Her mother and father’s surnames are Demegillo, therefor Virgilio is her father.
To the person asking where the (child’s) father is?: there is a good possibility that since she didn’t realize she was pregnant, he was never informed of her condition. The tragedy of a young college student who is so unaware of her physical condition is proof that sex education is desperately needed in our schools, especially when the parents are unable or unwilling to speak frankly to their young adults.
The Truth says
Perhaps you should read more carefully. Right before that line it spoke about the college students mother who is 58. It then followed it with her husband, meaning the 20 year olds father. Reading comprehension can help you understand things better
Didi says
This is what happens when you stop sex education in schools. This is what happens when you keep attacking women and women’s health care. This is what happens to minorities who are routinely ignored or dismissed if they even mention something feels off with their bodies. A young woman’s life is ruined. It’s ruined because the party of ped0 protectors would rather keep young people ignorant over their own bodies. If she knew to use a condom and push her partner to use one, or know about birth control options, she wouldn’t be here, and that baby wouldn’t be dead.
The government needs to stay out of everyone’s life. This is beyond ridiculous now. Don’t say, “Her parents…. “. Know what my parents said, “Take sex education in school. We’ll sign the permission slips. Let educators teach you about all that.” But I went to a great school and had amazing parents that wanted me knowledgeable about as many things as possible.
I feel for GenZ and Gen-Alpha. They are the least educated and aware of any generation. I have nieces and nephews from those generations. The ones raised in blue states are fine. It’s the ones raised in red states that are clueless about pretty much everything. Sad.
There’s the door says
Unbelievable. Once again people are trying to assign blame to society, politics, or the education system for an act that comes down to personal responsibility. This was not caused by a lack of sex education, nor by which political party happens to be in office.
Watching a newborn die in a toilet and then calmly planning how to dispose of the body in the backyard is not a societal failure—it is a deliberate and horrific act of murder. At some point we have to stop looking for excuses and acknowledge that individuals are responsible for the choices they make.
Dee says
Didi
At 20 years old and engaging in sex she should have known better…she didn’t need sex education…and she most likely knew she was pregnant
R.S. says
On target indeed, Didi! I think that the society is blameworthy, not this child-mother.
Skibum says
Sex education in schools is as important as biology. Dissecting frogs in biology class isn’t going to lead to students wanting to cut up humans, and learning sex education isn’t going to automatically lead to students being promiscuous. While I agree that it is essential for high school students to be exposed to comprehensive sex education classes, it appears there were a lot more issues this 20-year old girl was having than whether or not she knew about sex education.
Law enforcement stated that the girl was devoid of all emotional response to watching her newborn baby drown in the toilet. She admitted stuffing the dead baby into a duffel bag and hiding it in her bedroom closet while she went to her college class and did some type of performance as if nothing at all happened! To compound matters,
she dug a hole in the backyard late at night and unceremoniously buried the deceased baby in the shallow hole.
No, this girl definitely has some SERIOUS issues! There is no excuse for her inhumane criminal behavior.
C says
This is so heartbreaking. My prayers go out to the family.
Disgusting says
The way this case is being paraded around and reported on to incite hate towards the girl is disgusting. It is fully and easily possible for women to be unaware that they are pregnant, and nowhere have I seen mentioned that it is quite obviously a very premature baby at 3 pounds. Just try to empathize for a second. We have no idea how this girl got into this situation, it could have been education system failure, or something more sinister. Imagine her thoughts when she gives birth out of NO WHERE. If she was not mentally prepared, god forbid has any mental health issues already, then that could have easily caused a full on panic attack. A weak premature baby would die very quickly, while she was in shock. Please extend kindness to this young girl. Her name and face is being plastered everywhere as a baby killer, when I’m sure she is just scared and needs help more than ever. Meanwhile, real killers and predators sit at the top of our country, with no punishment.
Skibum says
You are talking as if the 20-year old is a scared child. NO! She is an adult, going to college, apparently has access to a car and driving herself wherever she needs to go without parental guidance or supervision, right? She is supposed to by now make adult decisions, and is supposed to know right from wrong.
It also should be common knowledge in today’s society about the locations to SAFELY hand off an unwanted baby, no questions asked. All she had to do was take her newborn to the closest fire station and be done with it. Instead, she admitted watching here newborn drown in the toilet! Then she stuffed the dead infant into a duffel bag and hid it. And you want compassion and understanding for HER? Sorry, not happening.
R.S. says
Skibum if you are a human being who cannot give birth, just keep your so-called wisdom to yourself. You should also read up on human development–what part is inbuilt and what part must be acquired. If it were all a matter of chronological age, there is a lot of wasted money on research in psychology.
Richard Trotter says
R.S great logic. By your logic there should be no rules, no order, just if you aren’t me dont tell me what to do.
R.S. says
No laws should be without scientific research and insights, of course! You cannot defy natural law and natural processes. Stubborn defiance will get you nowhere, except more people in jail. And remember, this land of the so-called brave and free has 25% of the world’s jailed population while it has a mere 6% of the world’s population.
Skibum says
R.S. I have news for you! Unless you are new to the reproduction process, both females AND males are necessary in this, so your comment suggesting that ONLY women have a right to comment on a criminal matter involving the death of a newborn is patently absurd. Hence, it is YOU who lacks wisdom, dear.
R.S. says
Of course. So where’s the dude that was involved in this one? Ran off and left her to fend for herself and the offspring? So she’s stuck with the responsibility in the act and the outcome? I’ll stick to it: if you cannot get into that situation, keep mum.
Skibum says
Who cares where the biological daddy is. Apparently this girl didn’t care because he wasn’t living there at the house. She didn’t NEED the guy to TELL her she shouldn’t let her newborn drown in the toilet! Even a child would know better, but you instead think men should just zip our lips? Get real, honey! Maybe you should have gone to law school, and then YOU could try to defend her. But I won’t be stupid enough, or remain quiet enough, to let anyone think letting an innocent newborn baby drown in a toilet bowl is ever an ok thing to do!!!!!!!!!!!
V says
Can you confirm she recieved that info? Matanzas highschool only preaches abstinence and FPC does that plus some STD overview…as of now.
If she never had any knowledge to the safety drops…how can you expect a 20 year old to know. …especially after giving birth to a 3 lb baby! Are we forgetting that part of info?
Greg says
This is so sac to read. This younger generation has little responsibility. Grew up with video games and cell phones. Living in a fantasy world. May God have mercy on this young lady.
TR says
Forget having mercy on her. She made the decision that she made. Have mercy of the future being she’s part of what will be controlling this country in the future. Thank goodness I won’t be around to see it.
R.S. says
The deity–if there is one–ain’t the one that’s picking on her. It’s the rest of the Harper Valley PTA we’ve got to look out for.
Me says
Very tragic and poor judgement.
DaleL says
The baby was very premature. I did a bit of checking on the internet. A 3 pound 6 ounce (1,530 gram) baby has a significant chance of death (10 to 20%) even with a birth in a hospital and good neonatal care. In the case of an accidental home birth the odds of survival would have been much less. It may have been as low as 50%. Even if Anne Mae Demegillo had done everything possible to save her baby, there was still a good chance it would have died anyway. I feel she should be prosecuted for what she did after her baby died, not for the death, which she might not have been able to prevent.
The maximum penalty for aggravated murder in Florida is 30 years in prison. Is it justice to sentence a 20 year old girl to up to 30 years in prison in this case?
Laurel says
Thank you DaleL The armchair medical experts know everything perfectly, and are totally willing to condemn without really understanding what the different scenarios may have been.
A woman not knowing she’s pregnant is more common than one may think. Was she an assault victim? Does she come from an ultra strict family, feared punishment and didn’t know what to do? Does she have sociopathic tendencies? Was she a victim of sexual abuse from family or friends and rejected the results?
Yep, everyone here has made all the right decisions throughout their lives. Congratulations.
DaleL says
Thanks. I think it’s important not to jump to conclusions based on possibly inaccurate information. I agree that there are too many armchair experts who know everything perfectly 100% without question. I suspect that in some cases it is the evil within their own hearts which causes them to project their belief in evil intentions onto others.
We do know with reasonable certainty the weight of the baby. Thus it is possible to determine an estimate of its survival chances had Anne tried to save it. To prosecute Anne for aggravated murder, the prosecution will have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Anne caused the death of her child. That seems a bit much.
With all this pretrial publicity, I question how an impartial jury can be found. I suspect that some of the “facts” which have been reported are either in error or will not be admissible in court.
Then there is the question of what would justice in this situation look like? To lock Anne away for 10, 20, or 30 years does not seem to be justice. She should face trial and hopefully be punished appropriately for what can be proven, not speculation.
JimboXYZ says
Yep, premature baby, might have even been a crack/Fentanyl baby ? These are referred to by the Healthcare industry as “Million Dollar Babies”. What we know or don’t know about this, was there a healthcare plan involved or not as most likely an uninsured 20 year old mother ? Even with insurance, that baby would be delivered & put in the ICU for infants, 6he coverage hits a stop loss for insurance.
Worked for a smaller MCO/MSO in Miami back in 2014. One month the physician’s that comprised the MCO/MSO had 3 premature crack babies delivered. It was enough to put the MSO out of business and sold off to a Doral, FL healthcare company. Lost my job back then for those expensive big ticket babies. What can you do ? Had just bought a condo in Country Walk, FL Those are the costs of substance abuse & drug addictions, it’s why I’m very adamant & rigid about substance abusers & drug addicts not being welcome around me. The less impact they have on anyone’s life the better.
TR says
How in the world does a 20 year old girl not know she’s pregnant? She’s the skum of the earth and is still breathing.
T says
She should be charged 2 degree murder wth
JC says
So many things to unpacked. After seeing the facebook comments and seeing the picture of the person who was arrested, yep they are Filipino. Growing up with some, they had the following patterns (but not all):
*Ultra Strict Religious Catholics (make sense, study the country)
*100% Anti-Abortion
*Have no problem disowning children if they have children out of wedlock.
Parents from the comments are most likely from the Philippines, and I read some Facebook comments that they know the arrestee and her older sister and their parents are ultra strict. In a way I am not surprised of the situation. I do believe the arrestee wasn’t 100% aware she was giving birth until it is too late. I also think she was ultra worried about her parents since she gave birth outside of wedlock that there was a high chance she would get kick out of the house for bringing shame to the family.
I wouldn’t honestly not be shocked at all that after this incident that the family will feel shameful and will disown their daughter. Even if their daughter gets up to 30 years (most likely more) and somehow survive the Florida Prison System, there is a high chance that none of her family members will be there when she gets released and will want nothing to do with them for bringing shame to everyone. I also won’t be shocked that long term the family would just sell the house and get out of the Palm Coast or even Florida.
Tears says
I’m glad someone brought this up. Difficult subject but spot on. In some cultures not excelling in school or dropping out can feel like a death sentence or is a self imposed one. When I saw the dad was a merchant marine (sacrificing being home), I thought to myself how much her family may have put pressure on her to be “successful” at all cost.
Al says
This is sad for everyone involved. Reading the comments most everyone feels the same way except one jerk that has to impose their politics into every situation. Sure you hate the conservatives but show some personal constraint. This family doesn’t need politics or courtrooms it need help and healing.
Land of no turn signals says says
Yep,From one of the comments in this section they are making it that this girl doesn’t have a brain in her head.Obviously she has zero common sense.Personally she will be over it quickly and knocked up once again sad but true.
SteveO says
Casey Anthony was not found “not guilty by reason of insanity”. That is an inaccurate statement.
FlaglerLive says
Thank you, that’s been corrected.
V says
People handle traumatic events differently. Has anyone ever had someone die close to them, and you go through your daily life like on auto-drive?
To pass your judgements on here while hearing one side of the story is just wrong.
People process things differently. There is, such a thing as post pardum depression, and SO many other things that can atrribute to this case. How many of you knew the baby weighed 3 lbs. A 3 lb baby requires NICU….
However, all accounts of this case need to be taken into consideration. Hearing one side from the arresting officers and reporters they decided to talk to, does NOT tell the story.
At this point, the way the articles are written have already called her a killer…innocent until proven guilty? Isn’t that how the courts are supposed to work?
There are monsters in this world that do horrible things with intention…I’m not saying she is innocent, but I am asking people to take a step back, because to me…this case seems like there can be a lot of factors that combine into the conclusion.
Laurel says
V: Agreed.
Skibum says
It is one thing to “take a step back” and to consider this girl’s circumstances. I get that. I know that she is not the first young woman to have given birth apparently not knowing that she even was pregnant. I won’t fault her for that. But she is obviously sexually active, and knows (or should know) the potential consequence of having unprotected sex definitely include becoming pregnant.
Once she actually gave birth to a live human newborn baby, she had options on how to handle it. She made the worst choice possible, a choice that is a felony criminal offense because her elected choice was to kill a human being.
And all of these comments about the baby being premature, as if it would not have survived anyway? That is ridiculous! I am an identical twin. Both my twin brother and I were premies, just over 3 lbs at birth, we were in the hospital a bit longer than normal but never had any health or growth issues apart from being skinny when we were young. I don’t even think there was such a thing as a NICU when I was born, although we were initially placed in an incubator in the hospital… that’s what they had back then.
Premature babies normally do fine, when they get the care they need and are not left to drown in toilet water in someone’s bathroom!!! She could have saved her baby that day, had she made a better decision. And she would also have survived any embarrassment or family “dishonor”. But no… one bad decision after another that led to a fatal choice, and now she will pay extraordinarily severe consequences for her actions. And the thing is, her parents will know that she had premarital sex anyway, and they also will know their daughter killed their grandchild.
R.S. says
You’re surprisingly sexist, Skibum. When did you notice that you were pregnant when last you had sex? You pointed out that it takes two to tango. What responsibility does the other party have? “He” didn’t know what risks he took?! And why, pray tell, are you so insistent that the baby should live–mayhaps a miserable life of not being wanted? What does this Trumpublican nightmare of a state do for children caught in poverty? Take away their medicaid?! Live out their life in homelessness? Ever heard the phrase “It takes a village to raise a child”? What do we do to smooth the way for people in dire need?
Skibum says
I can appreciate your opinion and concern, thinking I am sexist. That surprises me, as I am very pro equal rights and continue to stand up for women. I’m not sure why my outrage about this woman killing her newborn baby in the toilet leads you to somehow think I am sexist, but hey, that’s your opinion and I have to accept it as valid as any other opinion.
FYI – I am vehemently opposed to the maga republi-cons, the idiot in the WH, our own idiot gov in Tallahassee as well… so if you somehow thought I was one of them… SURPRISE!
You have mentioned the biological father a couple of times now. For the record, he was not present when the baby was drowned in the toilet, so why even mention his name as if he is somehow culpable? You cannot, by extension, blame him for what SHE did!
oldtimer says
The victim is NOT the mother; it is a baby who was left in a toilet to die and buried in the back yard like a dead goldfish.
Skibum says
Thank you… I concur!
R.S. says
The baby has no awareness of self yet; so strictly speaking, it really cannot experience harm yet and, thus, cannot be the victim. Think back! When did your awareness of self begin? I’m almost certain that you don’t recall slithering down the birth canal, opening your eyes, and thinking, “Hello world! Here I am.”
old-timer says
So it’s okay to let the child die because of lack of “self awareness”….are you nuts?
virginian says
Sounds like you support Infanticide??
R.S. says
Just because you use the wrong term for it, does not pass any judgment over the act. I think you lack sensitivity for the fully developed female person as opposed to the self-unaware bundle of flesh and nerves that, for some strange reason, you seem to prefer to the fully developed human being that has a sense of a future of value–unlike the newly born. No, I would not endorse infanticide where the child has an awareness of a future of value; however, while weighing the value of the two beings involved, my greater support would always go to the being that has a sense of a future of value. Responsibility for the new life is shared by all. So counseling and supporting should always take the place of punishment and guilt-tripping.