Crime & Safety

Mom Left Baby to Die in Toilet Tank, Police Say

Allentown resident Amanda Hein could face the death penalty for allegedly suffocating her newborn at Starters Pub in Lower Saucon Township.

Editor's Note: This story has been expanded with additional information since it was first posted.

By Tom Coombe

It sounds like a normal night out: a young Allentown woman and her friends watching a pay-per-view wrestling match at Starters Pub in Lower Saucon Township, Northampton County.

But authorities say the night took a horrific turn last Sunday when that woman, Amanda Hein, gave birth in secret inside the pub's bathroom, suffocated her baby boy in a plastic bag and then went out for a smoke. 

On Monday, one week after a worker found the baby's body in a toilet tank, Hein was charged with criminal homicide in the death of her newborn son.

Police filed charges with District Judge David Tidd in Lower Saucon Township Monday.

Hein was arraigned before Tidd Monday afternoon, and was being held without bail in Northampton County Prison as of Monday evening.

At a press conference at the Northampton County Courthouse, District Attorney John Morganelli said Hein admitted to putting the baby in the bag inside the tank, and noted she could potentially face the death penalty if convicted.

When the baby was discovered Aug. 19, police described it as a worker finding a fetus. But Morganelli told reporters Monday that the baby had been "alive and viable," having gestated for between 33 and 36 weeks before Hein gave birth.

"When you're dealing with a baby, it's very difficult," Morganelli said. "It looked like a full-term baby as far I was concerned. Whether it was one hour old or one minute old or a year old, it's still a person."

Police say the baby was found by a worker looking into a malfunctioning toilet. According to Morganelli, police found bloodstains inside a booth at the pub. There had been a pay-per-view wrestling match the night before, and investigators were able to trace the reservation for that booth to one of Hein's friends, Luis Rivera.

Morganelli said Rivera told police Hein had been in pain, and left for the bathroom. She spent so much time there that her friends got worried, and began texting her.

Eventually she returned to the table, got her purse, went outside to smoke, and then came back in until the wrestling match was over. She told Rivera she was in pain, but otherwise OK.

Morganelli said Hein told investigators she'd known she was pregnant since May or June, but hadn't told anyone else. 

Morganelli said investigators haven't determined Hein's motive for the alleged crime.

“I cannot get inside this lady’s head. I have no clue. She knew that night that she was in labor. And the baby was born alive and now the baby’s deceased," he said. "Why she did it, I have no clue. I’m looking at what she did."

Photo: Amanda Catherine Hein, 26, of Allentown, has been charged with criminal homicide in the death of her newborn son (photo provided by Northampton County Department of Corrections).


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.