A Wisconsin teenage dad, 16, has been charged with murder after he allegedly put his newborn daughter in a tree and shot her twice in the head after his girlfriend gave birth in a bathtub.
Logan Kruckenberg-Anderson was charged with first-degree intentional homicide Tuesday over the brutal slaying of his baby girl named Harper in the Village of Albany last week.
The suspected baby killer, who is being charged as an adult, allegedly told authorities he had left Harper in the snow in a wooded area to die after the young couple decided they were unable to look after her.
Cops said Kruckenberg-Anderson later admitted he had actually shot the infant twice in the head and tried to hide her corpse.
The baby’s bullet-riddled body was discovered Sunday with shell casing nearby.
The baby’s mom gave birth to Harper in the bathtub of her home in Albany on January 5, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday.
Four days later, a man contacted Green County Sheriff’s Department said his teenage daughter had given birth but that Kruckenberg-Anderson had taken the baby and they had not seen her since, the complaint states.
The child’s mom, who has not been named, told deputies she and Kruckenberg-Anderson had decided they couldn’t keep the child so they made a plan for him to take the baby to a friend.
The friend would then take her to an adoption agency in Madison.
When authorities questioned Kruckenberg-Anderson about this he allegedly claimed he had met his friend ‘Tyler’ in a park on January 5 and had handed over the infant.
He said he gave ‘Tyler’ $60 to take the child to an adoption agency and had not seen the baby since.
Authorities said Kruckenberg-Anderson told them he did not know ‘Tyler’s’ last name, phone number or where he was from but did give a description of him and of the SUV the man was allegedly driving.
He claimed they had met through the quick add feature on Snapchat and that Tyler later blocked him, the criminal complaint states.
Kruckenberg-Anderson’s story then allegedly changed when sheriff’s deputies returned to interview him the next day.
The teen dad allegedly said he and the baby’s mom had decided they would get rid of the baby by dropping and leaving her somewhere.
Authorities said Kruckenberg-Anderson then told them he put the baby girl in his backpack and headed to his mom’s house.
There, he put the baby in a larger backpack and headed to a remote wooded area in the Village of Albany, the complaint states.
The 16-year-old told deputies he heard the baby crying in his backpack so ‘bounced up and down on his heels to soothe the infant’.
Kruckenberg-Anderson is then accused of putting the naked baby in a snow-covered fallen tree.
He told deputies he covered the baby in snow and walked away, knowing his child would die from the elements, the criminal complaint states.
He allegedly told authorities he could hear Harper crying as he left her and he fell to his knees and cried in distress.
But Kruckenberg-Anderson’s story then changed again when authorities found the newborn in the location he directed them to and discovered she had gunshot wounds to her forehead.
The alleged killer then admitted he had placed the baby in the snow and shot her twice in the head with a firearm, authorities said.
An autopsy determined Harper was alive when she was shot.
A shell casing was reportedly discovered near to the body and another in Kruckenberg-Anderson’s backpack.
Authorities also believe they have located the gun used by the teen to kill his baby after another teenager handed over a firearm and said Kruckenberg-Anderson had given it to him three days after the baby went missing.
Kruckenberg-Anderson was charged Tuesday with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding the corpse of a child.
Under Wisconsin law, anyone aged 10 and older is charged automatically as an adult when faced with a charge of first-degree intentional homicide.
If convicted Kruckenberg-Anderson will be sentenced to life in prison.
He appeared in court for the first time Tuesday afternoon where bail was set by Green County Circuit Judge Thomas Vale at $1 million, reported NBC15.
Vale cited the seriousness of the crime and warned Kruckenberg-Anderson could flee if released.
He is scheduled to appear back in court on January 20 for a preliminary hearing.
