WHEATFIELD, Ind. — UPDATE: On Wednesday, Oct. 2, the Jasper County sheriff confirmed the children were "undocumented, home birth-type situation." That means the children were never documented with local government with a birth certificate, Social Security number, etc.
Authorities in Jasper County are investigating the discovery of bone fragments found at a home and an alleged confession to the killing of two children by their parent.
The Jasper County Sheriff's Office received a report on Sept. 20, 2024, about a person who had allegedly confessed to others about killing two of their undocumented children, then burning their bodies in a fire pit in the backyard of their home in Wheatfield, Indiana.
In a statement posted to Facebook, the Jasper County Sheriff's Office said their investigation led them to the suspect or suspects at a hotel in Newton County, where interviews were conducted. While the suspects denied involvement in the case, detectives seized their cellphones, uncovering additional information.
Confronted with the new information from the cellphones, deputies say the suspect or suspects again denied knowing anything about the incident.
Deputies say after this interview, an undocumented child who was in the care of the suspects was taken into protective custody by the Indiana Department of Child Services.
On Monday, Sept. 30, sheriff's detectives were joined by officers with Indiana State Police, Wheatfield Police, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and the Jasper County Coroner's Office for a search of the property. Cadaver dogs alerted to three separate locations on the property, where a preliminary search uncovered partial bone fragments.
The fragments were taken to a specialist in Indianapolis for analysis. It has not yet been determined if the bone fragments belong to an infant or an animal. Additional searches of the property are pending the results of the analysis.
Anyone with information that may assist police in their investigation into the case is asked to contact Jasper County Sheriff's Office detectives at 219-866-7334.
Wheatfield is approximately 120 miles northwest of downtown Indianapolis.