Two people in Illinois, Nicole Pokrzywa and William Cosmen, have been arrested after they were accused of trying to flush an infant down a toilet. When they were unsuccessful at the task, the pair eventually buried the baby’s body in a beer box.
The Will County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a press release that Pokrzywa, 36, and Cosmen, 38, were arrested in connection with the burial of the young girl.
In the release, the sheriff’s office said they learned of the case when they received a report of a “possible buried infant” in the Chicago suburb of Wilmington, Illinois. The baby’s remains were found wrapped in plastic and a cloth in an Old Style Beer box, which was buried about 36 inches underground.
It has been determined that Pokrzywa gave birth to the baby in October 2024, according to the sheriff’s office. It is not currently known if Cosmen was the baby’s father. Additionally, the relationship dynamic between Pokrzywa and Cosmen was also not immediately clear at the time of their arrests.
Both Pokrzywa and Cosmen allegedly said that the baby was born in a toilet, which they claimed while talking to authorities. Additionally, Cosmen reportedly tried “forcing the body down the toilet drain with a plunger,” the sheriff’s office said.
Police stated that the infant girl’s body was unable to fit down the toilet, and she was left there overnight. It wasn’t until later that she was taken to the property where she was eventually buried while wrapped in plastic and the cloth.
Details continue to emerge in the arrest of former University of Kentucky competitive cheerleader Laken Snelling, who was charged with hiding her newborn baby in a closet. According to Lexington Police records obtained by LEX18, the fetal remains “appeared to be full term when discovered.” Snelling, 21, told medical staff she “guessed” the baby was […]
“Nicole and William stated that a hole was dug that was approximately three feet wide by four feet deep, and the remains were placed in the hole,” the sheriff’s office said in the release.
Amid the investigation, a forensic pathologist concluded that the child was between 22 to 27 weeks old at the time of her death. Cosmen also reportedly told authorities that the baby weighed between 5 and 7 lbs.
Both Pokrzywa and Cosmen were initially charged with desecration of a corpse when they were arrested. However, they could potentially face even more charges once testing on the remains is complete. It is crucial that additional testing of the remains is done given the “level of decomposition of the deceased,” according to police.
The pair were taken into custody at Will County Adult Detention Facility, though they were released later that same day on a notice to appear in court, according to the Telegraph Herald.
It is not currently clear if Pokrzywa and Cosmen have entered pleas or if they have acquired legal representation for the case.
According to Illinois General Assembly’s website, anyone who “acts without proper legal authority and who willfully and knowingly destroys or damages the remains of a deceased human being or who desecrates human remains is guilty of a Class 3 felony.”
The disturbing case currently remains under investigation, and it’s expected that the Will County Sheriff’s Office will continue to share developments as they learn more about the situation.
If you suspect child abuse, please call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit ChildHelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential, and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.