A twenty year old Palm Coast woman stands charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child after authorities determined she gave birth alone in her bathroom toilet and left the newborn to drown there while cleaning blood from the floor and surfaces with paper and hand towels. The infant girl was born alive and crying yet received no medical aid or intervention. Detectives concluded the mother knowingly allowed the drowning to occur before concealing the body and later burying it in a shallow grave in her backyard.
The sequence began around three in the morning on March 5 2026 when Anne Mae Demegillo experienced sudden severe abdominal pain and delivered the three-pound six-ounce baby in the toilet at her Florida Park Drive residence. She told investigators she believed the child had not survived and placed the body in a duffel bag inside her closet. Demegillo then proceeded with her daily plans including a theater performance in New Smyrna Beach before returning home around ten that night to wrap the remains in a towel and bury them outdoors.
No call for emergency help was ever placed despite clear signs of a live birth. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office initiated a welfare check around four in the morning the next day after receiving reports of text messages Demegillo had sent describing the secret pregnancy and delivery. Crime scene investigators later used specialized techniques to detect blood evidence throughout the bathroom while digital forensics on her devices helped establish the full timeline leading directly to the charges filed on March 6 2026.
The medical examiner ruled the cause of death as drowning with the eighteen inch long newborn confirmed to have been viable at birth. Sheriff Rick Staly publicly described the investigation as one of the most difficult in his fifty one year career emphasizing that prompt action could have saved the infant. Demegillo reportedly admitted hoping the baby would hurry up and die according to statements released through the official investigation.
The complete details of the timeline actions and sheriff statements appear in the official release from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. A video recording of the sheriff’s public update provides additional context from the March 9 2026 press conference. Watch the full press conference video.
On March 12 2026 Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols denied the state attorney’s request for pretrial detention and instead set bond at two hundred fifty thousand dollars. Conditions include GPS electronic monitoring and surrender of Demegillo’s passport prior to any release from custody. The ruling followed an earlier order holding her without bond after her initial court appearance allowing the case to advance while she remains subject to strict oversight.
This outcome reflects the balance courts must strike between public safety and legal presumptions yet it also spotlights broader systemic gaps in supporting unexpected pregnancies. Florida law provides clear anonymous surrender options under Safe Haven provisions allowing any parent to relinquish a newborn at a fire station hospital or law enforcement agency without prosecution risk. The dedicated Safe Haven Baby Box at Palm Coast Fire Station 25 has been operational since September 2025 offering a climate controlled anonymous drop off that eliminates direct interaction yet awareness and utilization remain critical to preventing similar losses.
Communities benefit when these resources receive consistent promotion because they represent a compassionate alternative to isolation and despair. The tragedy here serves as a stark call for expanded education on pregnancy confirmation services and immediate support networks that could intervene before crisis points arise. Ongoing digital forensics in the case may yield further insights while authorities urge anyone with relevant information to contact the sheriff’s office at 386 313 4911 to assist the active investigation.
