A North Dakota couple has been arrested after the remains of an infant were discovered encased in concrete inside their bedroom closet.
Craig Kerzmann, 49, and Sarah Kerzmann, 45, were taken into custody on Saturday in Minot, North Dakota, after police responded to a domestic violence call at their home. The couple had lived in the small city for nearly three years after relocating from Texas.
During the investigation, officers received a disturbing tip from a neighbor. “During the investigation, officers were made aware of a deceased infant believed to be the child of Craig Kerzmann and Sarah Kerzmann,” the Minot Police Department said in a media statement. “Investigators received information that the child died approximately three years ago in another state and that the death was not reported to law enforcement at the time.”
According to a police affidavit obtained by Valley News Live, an intoxicated Sarah Kerzmann allegedly admitted to a neighbor the day before the arrest that the deceased child was inside the closet. The affidavit states that the woman gave birth to triplets, and that the infant passed away three years ago at around six months of age while allegedly under her husband’s care.
The affidavit also claims Craig Kerzmann told his wife, “If I’m going down, so are you,” before confirming to police the location of the cemented tote in the home.
Under a search warrant, police discovered the tote as described in the back of a cupboard. Upon X-ray, they found a void inside the concrete. The container has been transported for further forensic examination, including autopsy and formal identification.
Police have declined to comment further on the circumstances and location of the other two triplet children. The cause of the infant’s death remains under investigation, as detectives work alongside authorities in Texas to piece together a timeline.
Both Craig and Sarah Kerzmann have been charged with failure to report the death of a child and disturbing a human burial site. Craig Kerzmann faces an additional charge of domestic violence causing serious bodily harm. He appeared in court, with a judge ruling that he be held on over $149,734 bond along with a no-contact order with his wife. Sarah Kerzmann’s bond remains at just over $5,000, and she is banned from leaving the state.
Before his arrest, Craig Kerzmann maintained an active online presence, sharing content on his now-deleted account, leonidasautism, about parenting his autistic son. This child was not one of the couple’s three triplets. The videos posted by the father garnered him a controversial presence on Reddit and other online spaces. In a now-deleted clip shared to Reddit, the father addressed a “troll,” claiming that once his son “hits a certain age” that “if he’s still autistic I’m going to go buy him a whole bunch of hookers.”
Preliminary court hearings are scheduled for early October.