A mother and father from Indiana have been arrested after reportedly killing their two children and burning their bodies in a backyard campfire.
Steven Valle, 31, and Samantha Sebella, 25, are charged with murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death, abuse of a corpse, and failure to report a deceased body.
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office stated deputies began investigating on September 20 after someone allegedly confessed to acquaintances about killing two children and burning their remains at their Wheatfield home. Cops referred to the deceased children as “undocumented,” implying that they were likely born at home and never obtained any documents such as a birth certificate, social security number, or the like.
Valle and Sebella were discovered by detectives in a Newton County hotel. They denied any knowledge, but police confiscated their phones as evidence. Deputies uncovered additional information, but the parents maintained their innocence, police said. Meanwhile, a third illegal child was taken from their custody.
On September 30, the Sheriff’s Office, Indiana State Police, Jasper County Coroner’s Office, and two cadaver dogs descended on the Wheatfield property where Valle and Sebella previously lived. The pair was reportedly evicted from the residence earlier this year.
“With the help of the landowner and present occupants, the search began, and the cadaver dogs alerted to three different spots on the property. “A preliminary search at these locations yielded partial bone fragments,” deputies reported.
Cops brought the bone fragments to a specialist in Indianapolis for examination to see if they were from an infant or animal. The Sheriff’s Office determined that the bones were human. Investigators interrogated Valle and Sebella again on Thursday, when “new information came to light.”
According to records, a judge determined that there was sufficient evidence to arrest Valle and Sebella on Friday. Deputies transported them to the Jasper County Detention Center, where they remain without bond.