Two charged in connection with abandonment of stillborn infants in St. Francois County

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY, Mo., (KBSI) — Two people have been arrested and charged in connection with an investigation into the abandonment of the remains of two stillborn infants in St. Francois County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Keith J. Armbruster, 41, of Valles Mines, and Rebecca L. Whaley, 31, of Bonne Terre, each face two counts of abandonment of a corpse.

The investigation began June 16 after the Bonne Terre Police Department asked the Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control to investigate allegations that two Missouri residents conspired to dispose of the infants’ remains in rural St. Francois County.

Investigators said information gathered through interviews, forensic evidence and other investigative methods corroborated the allegations. Armbruster and Whaley were identified as persons of interest during the investigation.

On July 7, investigators identified a location where they believed the infants had been buried. A forensic excavation was conducted, and investigators recovered the remains.

The Highway Patrol said investigators continued working to determine the circumstances surrounding the infants’ deaths. A probable cause statement was later submitted to the St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

A St. Francois County grand jury returned indictments Sept. 21, charging Armbruster and Whaley with two counts each of abandonment of a corpse.

Both were taken into custody Sept. 22 by members of Operation Relentless Pursuit, the U.S. Marshals Service and the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Office.

Armbruster and Whaley are being held in the St. Francois County Jail on $100,000 bond each.

Anyone with information about the investigation is asked to contact Missouri State Highway Patrol Cpl. Jason Ashby at 636-300-2800.

The charges are accusations. Armbruster and Whaley are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.