Court affidavits allege Craig and Sarah Kerzmann fled Wichita Falls, Texas, for Minot, North Dakota, after concealing their infant son's body in cement. The allegation is not a finding of guilt. The records describe an infant's reported death in Texas, the discovery of a concrete-filled tote in North Dakota and unresolved investigations in both states.
Table of Contents
- What the affidavits allege happened
- What police found in Minot
- Which charges have been filed
- What remains unresolved
What the affidavits allege happened
Sarah Kerzmann told investigators that she returned from work on April 26, 2023, and found her roughly six-month-old son unresponsive in a baby jumper. She said she could not revive him, according to the Minot Daily News.
The affidavit says Sarah tried to contact texas law enforcement. Craig Kerzmann allegedly stopped her and directed her to obtain a plastic tote and cement. Both parents allegedly placed the child's body inside the tote, encased it in cement and later traveled to Minot.
What police found in Minot
Minot police searched the couple's home under a warrant during an investigation that began Aug. 22. Officers found a concrete-filled storage tote in a closet, according to Valley News Live.
An X-ray showed a void near the center of the concrete. The affidavit described that image as corroborating the couple's statements, but an empty space on an X-ray does not by itself establish what the tote contains. Authorities sent the tote to the North Dakota State Forensic Examiner. They had not publicly confirmed its contents or released a cause or manner of death, FOX 9 reported.
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Which charges have been filed
Ward County prosecutors charged each parent with failure to report the corpse of a child and disturbing a human burial site. Both offenses are class C felonies. Craig Kerzmann separately faces a Class C felony charge alleging domestic violence resulting in serious bodily injury.
That charge arose from the Aug. 22 Minot investigation and is separate from the two charges filed against both parents. The North Dakota charges concern the alleged failure to report and handling of the child's body. They do not resolve how the infant died or establish criminal responsibility for the death.
What remains unresolved
Texas authorities were actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the infant's death, according to KMOT/KFYR. No Texas charges were identified in the available records.
Key unanswered questions include: Preliminary hearings and arraignments were scheduled for Oct. 1. Until the forensic work and court proceedings advance, the affidavits remain allegations and the circumstances of the infant's death remain undetermined.
- Whether forensic examiners confirm that the tote contains the infant's remains.
- What caused the child's death and how authorities classify it.
- Whether Texas investigators file charges related to the death.
- Whether prosecutors can prove the North Dakota allegations in court.
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