Megan Huntsman: The Pleasant Grove Newborn Murders
Overview
Megan Huntsman is an American serial murderer who killed six of her newborn children in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Huntsman is female, despite sometimes being incorrectly described with male pronouns. The killings occurred over approximately ten years, from 1996 through 2006. She concealed each pregnancy, gave birth without medical assistance inside her home, and killed six babies shortly after they were born. A seventh baby was stillborn and was not classified as a murder victim.
The case remained hidden until April 12, 2014, when Huntsman’s estranged husband, Darren West, was cleaning the garage at the house where the family had once lived. West found a small box containing the remains of an infant and contacted the police. Officers searched the garage at the Pleasant Grove residence and discovered six additional bodies. The seven newborns had been wrapped in towels, clothing, plastic bags, or other materials and placed inside separate boxes and containers.
The Victims
The six murdered babies and the stillborn baby were never publicly identified by personal names. Authorities established that Huntsman gave birth to them between 1996 and 2006, but reliable public records do not provide a verified birth or death date for each individual child. Because exact dates cannot be confirmed, they should not be assigned to particular victims.
- Victim 1: An unnamed newborn child of Megan Huntsman. The baby was born alive and killed shortly after birth sometime between 1996 and 2006. The death occurred at the family residence in Pleasant Grove, Utah.
- Victim 2: An unnamed newborn child of Megan Huntsman. The baby was born alive and killed shortly after birth sometime between 1996 and 2006. The death occurred at the Pleasant Grove residence.
- Victim 3: An unnamed newborn child of Megan Huntsman. The baby was born alive and killed shortly after birth sometime between 1996 and 2006. The death occurred at the Pleasant Grove residence.
- Victim 4: An unnamed newborn child of Megan Huntsman. The baby was born alive and killed shortly after birth sometime between 1996 and 2006. The death occurred at the Pleasant Grove residence.
- Victim 5: An unnamed newborn child of Megan Huntsman. The baby was born alive and killed shortly after birth sometime between 1996 and 2006. The death occurred at the Pleasant Grove residence.
- Victim 6: An unnamed newborn child of Megan Huntsman. The baby was born alive and killed shortly after birth sometime between 1996 and 2006. The death occurred at the Pleasant Grove residence.
- Seventh infant: An unnamed child who was determined to have been stillborn. The baby was delivered sometime between 1996 and 2006 at the Pleasant Grove residence. This death was not included among the six murder charges.
The Killings
According to Huntsman’s confession and the criminal investigation, she concealed the pregnancies from relatives, neighbors, and even members of her immediate family. She delivered the babies alone and without professional medical care. Six were born alive. Huntsman admitted that she killed them within a short time of their births by strangling or suffocating them.
After each death, Huntsman wrapped the baby’s body in materials available inside the house. She placed the remains in plastic bags and then stored them in boxes or other containers in the garage. The bodies remained there for years. The condition of the remains and the long passage of time made it difficult for investigators to establish a precise chronological order or exact date of death for every baby.
Huntsman later told investigators that her addiction to methamphetamine influenced her actions. She said that she did not believe she could care for additional children while heavily using drugs. This explanation was presented as a motive, but it did not reduce her criminal responsibility. She already had three living daughters, and investigators found no evidence that those children knew about the concealed births or deaths.
Discovery of the Bodies
On April 12, 2014, Darren West was cleaning the garage after recently returning from federal prison. During the work, he opened or disturbed a box and discovered the remains of a newborn. West immediately contacted police. Investigators arrived at the house, located in Pleasant Grove in Utah County, and began searching the garage.
The first discovery quickly developed into a major crime-scene investigation. Police found six more sets of infant remains in separate containers. In total, seven babies were recovered. Huntsman was questioned and initially offered an incomplete account, but she eventually admitted giving birth to all seven children and killing six of them. She was arrested on April 13, 2014.
Investigation
Medical examiners studied the remains to determine whether the children had been born alive, how they died, and whether they were biologically connected to Huntsman and West. DNA testing established that West was the biological father of the babies. Investigators did not charge him and stated that they found no evidence that he knew about the concealed pregnancies, births, killings, or bodies.
The investigation concluded that six of the newborns had been born alive and intentionally killed. The seventh had been stillborn. Due to decomposition and the years that had passed, authorities could not establish a separate exact date of death for each victim. The official case therefore identified the murders as occurring during the broader period from 1996 through 2006.
Guilty Plea and Sentencing
On February 12, 2015, Megan Huntsman pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree murder. By entering the guilty pleas, she admitted criminal responsibility for killing the six newborns. The stillborn child was not included in the murder charges.
Huntsman was sentenced on April 20, 2015, in a Utah courtroom. The judge imposed six sentences of five years to life. Three sentences were ordered to run consecutively, meaning one after another, while the remaining three were ordered to run concurrently. The structure of the sentence ensured that Huntsman would remain imprisoned for several decades before becoming eligible for serious consideration for release.
Significance of the Case
The Megan Huntsman case attracted national attention because of the number of victims, the length of time the crimes remained undiscovered, and the fact that seven pregnancies and births had apparently been concealed inside an occupied family home. It also raised difficult questions about addiction, hidden pregnancies, family awareness, and missed opportunities for intervention.
The victims remain unnamed in publicly available accounts. Their individual birth and death dates have not been reliably released, and their lives lasted only a short time. The established facts are that six newborn children were intentionally killed at the Pleasant Grove home between 1996 and 2006, a seventh child was stillborn, the remains were discovered in April 2014, and Megan Huntsman admitted responsibility before receiving multiple life sentences in April 2015.
