A Father Buried Two Dead Children, Then Dug Them Up and Set Their Remains on Fire Years Later

A Father Buried Two Dead Children, Then Dug Them Up and Set Their Remains on Fire Years Later
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An Indiana mother and father are accused of killing their two children, excavating them from their makeshift graves, and burning the remains in a backyard campfire. This is all described in a probable cause arrest affidavit.

Samantha Sebella, 25, and Steven Valle, 31, are accused with killing someone, abusing a corpse, failing to report a dead body, and neglecting a dependent that results in death.

According to the affidavit, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office stated that deputies started their investigation on September 20 after receiving a call from a friend of the couple regarding Valle’s confession to them, “I killed my two kids.”

Valle is reported to have replied that they “smothered their first born but had drown the second born and burnt their bodies in the firepit at their house” in response to the friend’s follow-up questions.

The deceased children were described by police as “undocumented,” which means that although they were born at home, they never obtained any official paperwork, such as a social security number or birth certificate.

Valle and Sebella were discovered by detectives at a Newton County hotel. Police grabbed their phones as evidence, even though they denied knowing anything. A third illegal child was taken out of their care in the meantime.

The Wheatfield home of Valle and Sebella was raided on September 30 by the Sheriff’s Office, Indiana State Police, Jasper County Coroner’s Office, and two cadaver dogs.

It was reported earlier this year that the couple had been kicked off the property. The dogs directed the investigators to three different spots on the property where pieces of bone had been found.

To ascertain whether the pieces came from an animal or an infant, police transported them to a specialist in Indianapolis for examination. The Sheriff’s Office stated that it was concluded that the bones belonged to a human.

On October 1, Sebella’s phone’s data extraction revealed text exchanges between her and Valle that appeared to be incriminating. On September 17, she is said to have texted him, “GUESS WHAT BABY KILLER,” just after 11 a.m. She sent him a text message an hour later, saying, “You killed my kids cause you are a f—-t you never loved me.”

Valle allegedly replied, “Yeah, I know the fire will be known for what you did,” the following day.

According to reports, Sebella also texted, “They will know everything you took me to the doctor in 2017 to prove that I was pregnant THEY WILL KNOW.” and “YOU KILLED OUR BABIES I HAVE THEIR DNA IN BODY FOREVER.”

Additionally, according to reports, police discovered a “Baby Center” software on her phone that tracked the development of her pregnancy and added important dates to her Google Calendar.

Detectives presented Valle with this proof on Thursday. According to the affidavit, he acknowledged that Sebella gave birth to a boy in 2018 while he was traveling home.

However, upon his arrival, he reported discovering Sebella unconscious, with the infant trapped between her knees and not breathing. He reported that the boy was eighteen inches long and weighed roughly ten pounds.

“Steven said he cleaned him up to make him look ‘pretty,’ wrapped him in a baby blanket, face exposed, and placed him in a box,” the affidavit stated. “Steven said after three days, he knew the child wouldn’t be coming back to life so he wrapped him completely in the blanket and buried him in the backyard near a shed.”

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Valle allegedly informed detectives that Sebella fell pregnant once more “some time” following the boy’s passing. This time, while he was at work, she gave birth to a “premature” girl in the bathtub.

He stated in the statement that when he arrived home, the girl had passed away. He mentioned burying her with the boy.

According to police reports, the kids were buried for between three to five years before he removed them and set them ablaze in the firepit. It is said that while sorting through the ashes, he came upon some broken bones.

“Steven stated that he kept some of the ashes to make a necklace as a memento,” as per the affidavit.

Valle and Sebella are still incarcerated.

Reference

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With more than two years of expertise in news and analysis, Eileen Stewart is a seasoned reporter. Eileen is a respected voice in this field, well-known for her sharp reporting and insightful analysis. Her writing covers a wide range of subjects, from politics to culture and more.