WARREN COUNTY, Iowa — A sentencing hearing has been set for Megan Staude who entered a plea deal of second-degree murder for killing her newborn baby in 2023.

In 2023, a newborn’s remains were found on the side of the road outside Norwalk. The mother of the baby, Megan Staude, and her father, Rodney Staude, were later arrested on first-degree murder charges.

Investigators say Megan admitted to putting the child in a box and not caring for him for two days, then later putting the child, who was allegedly still alive, in a trash bag and leaving him in a ditch.

Megan plead guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder in July 2024 with a sentencing date to be set at a later time.

According to court documents, Megan’s hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 22, 2025. The charge for second-degree murder carries up to 50 years in prison.

Rodney was ruled incompetent to stand trial in February 2024, with the case being stayed while efforts were made to restore his competency. A ruling in August 2025 found “by a preponderance of the evidence, that Rodney Staude has been returned to a sufficient level of competency to stand trial.”

A status conference in the case is scheduled for September 22 and a jury trial has been set for October 15.