Thoma, 31, and Blaha, 24, are accused of murdering their child and disposing of her body somewhere around Fort Dodge. The two were arrested around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 1300 block of Second Avenue South. Both are charged with one count of first-degree murder. Thoma faces an additional count of abuse of a corpse.

According to the criminal complaint, Blaha gave birth to the infant, a girl, inside the bathroom of the apartment she shared with Thoma at 927 Central Ave. At the time of the birth, Blaha told investigators, Thoma was in the adjacent bedroom. After she gave birth, Thoma helped Blaha move from the toilet to the bathtub.

A short time later, the document says, Blaha and Thoma together held the infant under the water in the bathtub, drowning and ultimately killing her. In the early morning hours of Nov. 17, Thoma allegedly left the apartment building with the baby’s body inside a backpack to dispose of the remains.

Law enforcement was notified about Blaha and the baby after receiving a call from an Iowa Department of Human Service staff member who had met with Blaha at UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center on Nov. 22.

Brandon Thoma

Webster County Sheriff’s Office Detective Amy Stringer went to the hospital to interview Blaha. Blaha told Stringer that she and Thoma “had no intentions of keeping the baby and planned to allow Blaha’s sister to adopt the baby.” The two already have a 2-year-old child together.

Blaha told Stringer that during childbirth, she asked Thoma for methamphetamine “to help her ease the pains associated with the birth.”

Blaha also told Stringer that after the baby was born, she and Thoma feared that the baby’s crying would disturb neighbors and bring in law enforcement, who would learn that the baby had methamphetamine in her system and they would lose custody of their toddler.

According to the criminal complaint, security video footage from the downtown Fort Dodge area showed Thoma leaving the Wahkonsa Apartments in the early morning hours of Nov. 17 with a backpack containing “a rectangular shaped object.” He returned about 20 minutes later and the backpack appeared empty. Thoma admitted to investigators that the baby’s body was in the backpack.

According to text messages between Blaha and Thoma, Thoma initially discarded the newborn’s body in a wooded area near the Kenyon Road Bridge.

The Fort Dodge Police Department’s investigation into the alleged crimes began on Nov. 22 with the phone call from the DHS worker. On Nov. 23, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation assisted in a search warrant execution on the couple’s apartment, where they found parts of an umbilical cord or remains of a human placenta.

Local law enforcement — with assistance from local, state and federal agencies — have been diligently searching the Fort Dodge area for the infant’s remains. Multiple searches near the Kenyon Road Bridge, where Thoma allegedly initially hid the body, did not recover the remains.

Over this last weekend, the search was focused at the North Central Iowa Regional Solid Waste Agency landfill, which was unsuccessful. On Monday, Thoma led law enforcement to a rural area north of the landfill, where a full excavation was completed to no avail.

Searches of the defendant’s cellular devices produced further evidence. According to the criminal complaint, both phones contained internet searches for information on how to force a miscarriage. Blaha told Stringer that she and Thoma had tried to cause a miscarriage, but were unsuccessful.

As of Thursday, the infant’s remains have not been located. Law enforcement is continuing to search.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,500 reward for information that leads to the recovery of the infant’s remains. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Webster County Crime Stoppers by texting “LEC” and the tip to 274-637, or by calling 515-573-1444.

Blaha and Thoma had their initial appearance in Webster County Magistrate Court on Thursday morning.

Thoma appeared via video conference from the Webster County Jail, and Blaha appeared via telephone from the Hamilton County Jail. Both have preliminary hearings scheduled for Dec. 15.

Thoma is being held on a $1,050,000 cash-only bond, and Blaha is being held on a $1,000,000 cash-only bond.

First-degree murder is a Class A felony that carries a mandatory life sentence if convicted. Abuse of a corpse is a Class C felony and carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.