DEFIANCE, OH (WTOL) - A body of a new born infant left un-cared for 17 months in Defiance County has resulted in four people from the same family being charged.
A Hicksville couple and the parents of the man have been charged with gross abuse of a corpse, after an investigation found that a newborn had died ten hours after being born back in 2016
Sarah Stark, 35, faced a Judge Tuesday after being indicted by a Defiance county grand jury.
She was charged with a felony of endangering children, a misdemeanor endangering children and a felony charge of gross abuse of a corpse.
The indictment claims that 35-year-old Sarah Stark gave birth to a male child inside a private residence in October 29th 2016.
Sarah's husband, Jared Stark, and Sarah, failed to obtain any medical attention for the baby, who died 10 hours later.
The Indictment also claims Sarah, Jared and Jared's parents Steven and Sheryl Stark, were all complicit in not properly caring for the remains of the newborn from October 29th 2016 until March 28 2018.
"Information came into a social services agency and brought their attention to the fact that a child's realms, the infant child's remains has not been properly tended to, and that's how the investigation got started," said Defiance County Prosecutor Morris Murray.
That newborn's body was still exposed when investigators found it 17 months later.
Jared Stark was arraigned Tuesday as well on first-degree felony man slaughter, third-degree endangering children, and a fifth-degree felony gross abuse of a corpse.
His parents were each arraigned as well, each charged with gross abuse of a corpse.
All four individuals plead not guilty to the charges.
There is also a two-year-old child involved in this case, who prosecutors say was in danger by being exposed to this corpse.
"There is another child that was exposed to the circumstances and to the unattended to remains and creating a risk to that child's health and safety and emotional well being," said Murray
Now that all four have been arraigned, pretrial hearings will begin for Jared Stark on June 7th, Sarah Stark on July 12th, and Steven and Sheryl Stark on June 13th.
