DaytonDailyNews.com

XENIA — The attorney for the Beavercreek teen charged criminally for the death of her newborn said Friday, July 18, the charges against his client are without merit.

"What I have here in my hand says undetermined, which means not guilty and the case should be dismissed," John Rion, attorney for Katherine Waugh, said referring to the Montgomery County Coroner's report.

An autopsy did not reveal if Waugh's child was stillborn or died shortly after delivery March 21 at the 18-year-old's home on Dayton-Xenia Road.

The coroner listed the cause and manner of death as "undetermined" and noted the infant girl's umbilical cord had been severed, but not tied off.

Waugh was arraigned on charges of child endangering, a misdemeanor, and involuntary manslaughter, a felony, in Greene County Common Pleas Court on Friday and released without posting bond. A pretrial hearing is set for Aug. 19. She faces a maximum of five years in prison.

The Carroll High School senior hid her pregnancy from her family, classmates and teachers at her school. She told her mother she had given birth hours after delivering the child in the bathroom of their home.

Medics were called to the house, but it was too late. The seven-pound, 21-inch infant was found in Waugh's bedroom, wrapped in a towel, cold and not breathing.

Darrell Eugene Waugh, Katherine's father, said after the court appearance that his daughter is in therapy, trying to deal with what happened.

Carroll high school faculty let the senior finish out the school year from home and receive her diploma, he said. She is now studying to become a nurse.

"Obviously, we're really upset and troubled by all this, but we want to get on the road to clearing her name," Waugh's father said. "We're just hoping to get through the whole thing."

Contact the reporter at (937) 225-2342 or cmagan@DaytonDailyNews.com