In Downey, Idaho, a man has been charged in connection with the discovery of a newborn’s body found in a suitcase inside a doghouse. Robert K. Ramsey, 30, faces a felony count for failing to report or delaying the report of a death. The baby’s mother, Jessica Lynn Weeks, 32, was charged last week with felony injury to a child, felony failure to notify of a death, and felony destruction, alteration, or concealment of evidence.
The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to a “suspicious circumstance” on East Idaho Highway 40 near Downey on June 5. The tip-off came from a woman who had heard from her incarcerated son that a “deceased infant might be found in a piece of luggage near the dog house in the back of the residence,” as per court documents. The inmate identified the baby’s mother as Weeks, who he claimed “avoided going to the hospital to deliver the baby due to her drug use.”
The inmate also revealed that a second woman, a friend of Weeks’, was present during the birth and attempted to assist her. He further mentioned a second inmate who had allegedly seen the baby inside the suitcase. When deputies interviewed the second inmate, he confirmed that he had seen Weeks placing a purple suitcase in a doghouse in January. He later discovered the infant’s body when he opened the suitcase while cleaning up a few months later.
Following these revelations, a search warrant was issued and law enforcement officers visited the home. They arrested Weeks, who had an outstanding warrant for narcotics possession. At the residence, officers detected the “odor of decomposition” in the backyard and discovered a “purple carry-on style suitcase” inside the dog house. The suitcase contained the skeletal remains of a newborn infant along with decomposing tissue.
Ramsey, the alleged father of the baby, was questioned by detectives. He claimed ignorance about Weeks’ pregnancy, the birth of the baby in the house, or the placement of the baby in the suitcase in the dog house.
On Aug. 16, the FBI reported that the baby was full term and showed no signs of trauma. The following day, deputies examined Weeks’ phone and found messages sent days before the birth expressing her fear of being turned in at the hospital due to her outstanding warrants.
Weeks is currently held at the Bannock County Jail with a bond set at $50,000. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 5 and could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Ramsey is due for an arraignment on Oct. 10 and could face up to 5 years in prison if convicted.