Fort Dodge Mother Charged with First Degree Murder in Infant’s Death Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge

A Fort Dodge mother charged with first degree murder in the death of her infant daughter has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

In a Webster County Courtroom this morning, Taylor Blaha pleaded guilty to 2nd Degree Murder in the death of her baby last November.

Blaha told the court that she gave birth to the child on November 16th and the baby was alive and crying. She along with the baby’s father held the girl underwater in a bathtub until she was dead.

The case is one that led to a full scale investigation by the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, the Fort Dodge Police Department, the DCI and the Webster County Attorney’s Office.

Following the plea, Blaha requested that she be sentenced immediately.

The request was granted and she was sentenced to 50 years in prison and must serve 70 percent of that sentence.

Blaha’s plea follows a plea deal that the baby’s father, Brandon Thoma who was charged with murder in the first degree and abuse of a corpse made last month.

He will be sentenced on September 1st for a lesser charge of Child Endangerment Causing Injury or Death and Abuse of a Corpse for disposing the body.