Woman pleads not guilty to felony charges 5 years after infant’s remains found in north suburbs
A woman accused of hiding the remains of her newborn baby more than five years ago in a wooded area of north suburban Riverwoods pleaded not guilty to criminal charges Thursday.
Natalie Schram now lives in Washington state, where she was arrested earlier this month, police said.
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Riverwoods police said Schram gave birth to the baby in May 2020, then dumped the baby’s body in a wooded area in the 1800 block of Robinwood Lane.
Police have been investigating the case for more than five and a half years after a Lake County Water Department crew discovered the newborn’s remains near a home in a residential area of the city.
Schram left court Thursday with her husband and attorney, without comment. She was back in Lake County after her arrest in Washington state.
Authorities say she is the mother of a newborn whose remains were discovered in a suitcase in this neighborhood behind a home where her family lived.
Police say DNA analysis done by the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, helped them find Schram.
“With a profile of the baby, we were able to work toward finding the baby’s parent,” said Riverwoods Police Detective David Martinovich.
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Police said they were continuing their investigation as many questions remained unanswered. They say that although the remains found were those of a newborn, it is unclear how long they had been there.
“It could have been immediate or it could have happened several years ago,” said Det. » said Martinovitch.
Detective Martinovich says he traveled to Bellingham, Washington, last week to work with local police, who arrested Schram. She waived extradition and was released on $250,000 bail by local authorities.
Schram now faces several criminal charges, including two counts of concealing a death, abuse of a corpse and failure to report the death or disappearance of a child under 13 years old. Prosecutors say it’s also possible more suspects will be involved and more charges will be filed.
“It never went cold. I’ve been continuously following forensic leads for five and a half years,” said Det. » said Martinovitch.
The judge allows Schram to return to her home in Washington, but she must be back in Illinois for her next court appearance in February.
