FORT DODGE, Iowa — EDITOR'S NOTE: This story contains descriptions of an alleged crime that may be disturbing to some.
A Fort Dodge man accused of drowning his newborn child is pleading guilty to two felony charges, according to court documents.
32-year-old Brandon Thoma pleaded guilty on Wednesday to child endangerment resulting in the death of a child and abuse of a corpse.
Thoma was arrested in early December for his alleged involvement in the drowning death of his newborn baby. The baby's mother, Taylor Blaha, was also arrested.
The plea comes more than seven months after he initially pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse.
According to court documents, Blaha allegedly gave birth to a baby girl in her apartment on Nov. 16, 2022 before she and Thoma drowned the baby in a bathtub.
Thoma later admitted to police that he took the baby out of the apartment in a backpack, removed the baby from the backpack and returned to the apartment without the baby.
Police searched the area where Thoma said he placed the baby, but the body was never found.
Thoma's sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 1. Blaha is scheduled to go to trial later in September.