A little over a week ago in Utah, Darren West was going through the garage of his estranged wife Megan Huntsman. He made a horrifying discovery. Inside a cardboard box he found the remains of a tiny infant. Police were called and 6 more bodies were found in boxes and plastic bags. When police interrogated Ms. Huntsman she apparently told them that she choked or suffocated 6 of the 7 infants and stored their remains in her garage. So why hasn’t she been charged with murder?
Ms. Huntsman was arrested and is in custody held on a 6 million dollar bond. The prosecutors recently asked for a 2 week extension to file charges, and were granted 1 week. They asked for this with good reason. Autopsies have been conducted on the children but results have not yet been made available or analyzed. Key information such as DNA tests linking Megan Huntsman to the children needs to be determined. Cause of death is another crucial result which needs to be determined. Without this information prosecutors would be filing charges blind.
What if Ms. Huntsman has mental health problems (not a stretch given these facts)? If so her word on the cause of death may not be accurate. What about paternity? If Darren West the father of all the children or is there another actor involved? If the prosecution charges Ms. Huntsman incorrectly and this needs to be corrected later in the proceedings this will make a fairly straightforward case much more complicated.
