N.M. father enters plea deal in drowning death and burial of 1-year-old daughter
12/30/2022 11:21 am PST
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (TCD) -- A father who allegedly left his 1-year-old daughter in a bathtub and buried her body in a backyard has reportedly entered a plea deal.
On Jan. 2, 2019, the Albuquerque Police Department announced that the victim, Anastazia Zuber, was reported missing. Police said the 1-year-old's father, David Zuber, told his mother that the baby was supposed to be with her mother, Monique Romero.
According to KRQE-TV, Zuber's now ex-wife, Romero, placed the victim in the bathtub along with her 2-year-old sister. The two were allegedly left alone while she browsed for jobs on her cell phone.
The girl's body was found buried in a backyard, wrapped in plastic bags, and stuffed inside a duffel bag, the Albuquerque Journal reports. An autopsy reportedly revealed that the victim had methamphetamine in her system as well.
Both parents were initially charged with child abuse resulting in death, according to the Albuquerque Journal. Zuber and Romero reportedly told family members that the girl drowned.
The New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department allegedly took custody of Zuber and Romero's two other children.
According to KRQE, in April, Romero pleaded guilty and faces a sentence of 15 years in prison.
On Thursday, Dec. 29, Zuber reportedly entered a plea deal on a charge of abandonment of a child resulting in death. His sentencing hasn't yet been scheduled, but he is already in federal prison for dealing methamphetamine.
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