PERRY, IA — A deceased premature infant was found Tuesday evening inside a trash container at Acorns & Oaks Child Care in Perry, according to Police Chief James Archer.
Dallas County Emergency Medical Services had already been sent to the facility on the Perry Lutheran Home Eden Acres campus shortly before 5 p.m. for a report of a woman experiencing vaginal bleeding. That woman was evaluated and taken to a metro-area hospital about 30 minutes later.
Then, shortly before 6:30 p.m., Perry police were told a premature infant might be in a trash container at the daycare. Officers responded and found the infant deceased inside a trash bag.
Police connect infant discovery to active investigation at Acorns & Oaks
The infant was discovered after the earlier medical response, but police have not said publicly what led them to the trash container or how the infant ended up there. Investigators said only that the matter is being actively examined.
A death investigator assisted at the scene. The infant’s body was later taken to the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny for an autopsy.
Police have not released additional details about the circumstances surrounding the death, and they said more information will be shared if it becomes available.
Daycare says infant was not a client and not under its care
Authorities said the infant was not under the care of the daycare and was not a client of the facility. That distinction is central to the case because the discovery happened at a child care center, but investigators do not believe the infant had been enrolled there.
Perry police also said they do not believe there is a threat to the community. No further public safety warning was issued after the discovery.
The child care center sits on the Perry Lutheran Home Eden Acres campus, where the initial medical call was made before the infant was reported found.
Emergency crews first responded to vaginal bleeding call before infant was found
Dallas County EMS responded first to the campus around 5 p.m. for the report of vaginal bleeding. The woman involved was evaluated at the facility and then transported to a hospital in the metro area.
About an hour and a half later, police received the report that a premature infant may have been placed in a trash container. The sequence of events has become a key part of the investigation as authorities work to determine what happened before and after the EMS call.
Officials have not said whether the woman transported from the scene is connected to the infant’s death, and no such link has been confirmed publicly.
Medical examiner autopsy will help determine cause and manner of death
The infant was sent to the state medical examiner in Ankeny, where an autopsy is expected to help determine the cause and manner of death. That process will likely be important because police have not yet disclosed how the premature infant died.
Until those findings are complete, investigators are limiting what they release. Perry police said the case remains open and ongoing.
Chief Archer said the department will provide updates as they become available, but for now no additional information is being shared.
Perry police say no immediate danger to the public as case continues
For now, police say there is no indication of a broader threat to the community. The investigation remains active, but officials have not described any suspect, arrest or criminal charge.
The unusual case has drawn attention because it unfolded at a daycare campus, even though police said the infant was not in the facility’s care. Investigators continue to piece together the timeline using the EMS response, the later report of the infant in the trash container and the autopsy process.
Authorities have asked for patience while the investigation continues and additional facts are gathered.
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