Pennsylvania woman accused of letting her baby die after abandoning her in a field before going to work
Pennsylvania teen faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, after being accused of abandoning her baby outside her home
A woman identified as Jordyn Kauffman, 20, was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, concealing the death of a child and abuse of a corpse, following the death of her newborn baby in Pennsylvania.
According to investigation documents, Kauffman gave birth to a girl on May 14 around 9:30 in the morning at her home in McVeytown, Pennsylvania.
The baby would have been abandoned still alive
Investigators maintain that the young woman held the newborn for approximately 30 minutes and watched her move her hands before leaving her outside the home.
According to authorities, the baby was still breathing when she was abandoned.
Later, Kauffman would have returned inside the house and left for work a few hours later.
Court documents state that the defendant later acknowledged that she knew what happened was wrong, but stated that she feared her father would reject her if he discovered the pregnancy.
The next day, Kauffman's father took her to Geisinger Lewistown Hospital after finding her bleeding.
However, according to the investigation, the young woman denied to medical personnel that she had been pregnant or had children.
Hospital workers alerted authorities due to previous medical history. According to reports, Kauffman had gone to the medical center months before stating that she did not want to continue with the pregnancy, although an abortion was not performed.
The woman also allegedly missed multiple medical appointments related to the pregnancy.
The autopsy confirmed that the baby was born alive
Pennsylvania State Police officers later responded to the home and found the newborn's body on the outside lawn.
The Mifflin County Coroner's Office reported that the autopsy confirmed that the baby was born alive and suffered injuries related to insect bites and prolonged environmental exposure.
“The newborn was found without clothes and with the umbilical cord still present,” the coroner's office said in a statement.
Authorities also found a placenta inside a white trash bag about 50 feet from the scene, still attached to a part of the umbilical cord.
Authorities seek to identify the baby's father
The coroner's office requested the collaboration of any man who had sexual relations with Kauffman between July and September 2025 to advance the identification of the minor's father.
The defendant's preliminary hearing is scheduled for this Wednesday.

