Recent revelations have surfaced in the case of a Pennsylvania woman, aged 39, who was apprehended last month following the discovery of four deceased infants at her former residence, just before her eviction.

Jessica Mauthe appeared in front of District Judge J. Gary DeComo on Tuesday for her preliminary hearing, where she entered a plea of not guilty. The charges against her include one count each of criminal homicide and involuntary manslaughter, along with four counts each of concealing the death of a child and abuse of a corpse, as indicated by court documents.

During the proceedings, prosecutors introduced several witnesses to discuss the investigation into Mauthe. She was initially taken into custody after her landlord stumbled upon a deceased infant wrapped in towels and garbage bags, concealed in a closet. A follow-up search of the property uncovered three more deceased newborns, hidden in tote bags or buckets in the attic.

A Pennsylvania State Police trooper testified that the homicide charge pertains to Mauthe’s most recent childbirth, occurring roughly 18 months ago. Meanwhile, the manslaughter charge is linked to her first childbirth, which happened approximately six years prior, as reported by the Butler Eagle.

Another trooper recounted to the court that Mauthe had shared details about each child found in the residence. She reportedly admitted to giving birth in the bathroom each time. Allegedly, the first baby made a faint noise or “whimper” before Mauthe lost consciousness, awakening to find herself on top of the now-deceased infant.

Details about the second and third babies remained unclear — specifically, whether the children were alive or stillborn. She said the third child, referred to as “Baby C” in court documents, did not make any sounds after being born in the toilet.

The fourth child was allegedly killed by Mauthe after being born alive, also in the toilet.

“The child remained in the toilet for several minutes, during this time, she could hear the child making noises,” police previously wrote in a probable cause affidavit. “Mauthe removed the child from the toilet, wrapped a towel around the infant”s entire body, where it remained until it stopped making noises.”

A trooper testified that during an interview, Mauthe admitted she held the baby for 15 to 20 minutes before it stopped making noise and said she was unsure if the death was the result of holding the child too tightly or because she had the child’s nose and mouth covered.

Mauthe’s defense attorney, Chuck Pascal, argued that his client should not be facing the homicide and manslaughter charges because prosecutors submitted no evidence about the children’s causes of death, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. He also asserted that Mauthe’s admissions should not be taken literally because she was likely in a “dream” state due to the pain, pressure, and blood loss that come with giving birth.

“You can’t confess to a crime that can’t be proven in some other way,” he reportedly told the court. “There was no evidence introduced today about any cause of death, about whether any baby was alive, any scientific evidence. Therefore, you’ve got to question anything that Miss Mauthe may have said, whether it was accurate or not. She may not know.”

At the conclusion of the proceedings, DeComo held all of the charges against Mauthe, meaning she will go to trial.

Mauthe was ordered to remain in detention at the Armstrong County Jail without bond. It was not immediately clear when she was scheduled to return to court.