PLEASANT HILL, Mo. -- The mother of a newborn found encased in concrete at a western Missouri home has been convicted of second-degree murder.
The Kansas City Star reports a Johnson County jury also convicted 30-year-old Krystal Scroggs on Thursday of endangering the welfare of a child and abandonment of a corpse.
Police found the baby's body in a concrete-filled bucket in a Pleasant Hill garage in 2013 while searching for drug paraphernalia. Investigators said the father told them the baby was stillborn at home, and he disposed of the body in the bucket.
An autopsy showed the baby died of methamphetamine intoxication caused by his mother's drug use. The defense said the state didn't prove the baby would have survived with medical care.
Sentencing is set for June 15.
Connect with the Southeast Missourian Newsroom:
For corrections to this story or other insights for the editor, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To learn about the Southeast Missourian’s AI Policy, click here.