Woman accused of faking her pregnancy and baby's death acquitted

A woman told her former partner that their child had died, but when he looked inside the tiny coffin, he claims to have seen a doll in place of a lifeless corpse, the Mirror reports.

Two years ago, Tahira Edilka Montero told ex Duvier Alexander Morales that he had fathered her child but that the tot had tragically passed away in intensive care, just three days after she was born on October 10, 2023. Duvier was, of course, heartbroken, but there were apparently further shocks in store. When Duvier looked inside the coffin, he began to doubt that the child had ever even existed, kickstarting a chain of events that continues to perplex.

Duvier accused Montero of faking a pregnancy before allegedly holding a funeral for a doll, which he claimed she'd painted to appear as though it were the corpse of a newborn. Montero has now been acquitted, but many questions remain for those who've followed this startling case from the very beginning.

According to Montero, her daughter was born in Panama City, Panama, but, due to protests and road closures across the country, her body could not be transported to Duvier's hometown of Bugaba until December 14 of that year. The funeral was planned for the following day, with Duvier and his family turning up to say their final goodbyes to a little girl they'd sadly never known in life. It was then that matters allegedly took a grim twist.

After inspecting the coffin, Duvier's mother noticed that the deceased child's gloves and shoes didn't appear to be those of a real baby. It was then that the paternal family allegedly realised the coffin contained, not the corpse of a baby, but a doll, dressed and face-painted to appear as though it had once been a living human.

Duvier, who filed a complaint with the authorities that month, said: "They told us that my baby died shortly after birth. They played with our feelings." According to Duvier, who was led to believe that the entire pregnancy had been faked, he had been prevented from attending any post-mortem discussions held prior to the funeral.

The family also asked to see the child's birth certificate at the hospital, but were reportedly unable to find any evidence on record. Now, almost two years after the alleged discovery, Montero has been acquitted of all charges, as the court concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support a conviction.

It's understood that the reasons for this acquittal will be publicly announced in full on December 5. In the meantime, the country, which has long been left perplexed by this saga, will be waiting on tenterhooks.

As for Devier and his family, this is far from the outcome they were hoping for, and they have been left without the answers they so desperately sought. Demanding a 136-month prison term, prosecutors had argued that Montero had faked her pregnancy, presented falsified documents, and staged a fake funeral.

The team was able to show that there were no records of the child's birth or any subsequent hospital care, while Duvier had received several fabricated documents. While Montero appeared cold and distant during her trial, medical experts confirmed she did not suffer from any mental health issues. Going forward, Duvier and his legal team are currently evaluating whether or not to launch an appeal.