Smithfield woman pleads guilty in baby remains case

SMITHFIELD (WTVD) -- Bridgette Smith, the woman accused of failing to report the deaths of two infants found under a home in Smithfield, pleaded guilty in Superior Court on Thursday.

Smith pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to report a death.

In April 2016, the remains of the two infants were found under a Smithfield home, wrapped in three separate trash bags and had towels around them.

In court, officials said toes, toenails, and remains of a buttocks, in addition to other body parts, were found inside of the bags.

READ MORE: Remains of child found in multiple bags under Smithfield house

Reports show that both of the skeletonized remains of the two children - who were born at least two years apart - were roughly 36 to 41-weeks-old, adding that they did not die due to traumatic injuries.

Records state Smith said she had the babies over the toilet, claiming they were not breathing or crying when they were delivered.

While Smith said the children were stillbirths, further medical investigation provides evidence that one of the babies may have been alive.

Smith faces six to eight months in jail per count, which will be served consecutively, in addition to attending substance abuse counseling.

However, Smith has 164 days that she has already served that will be accredited to her sentence.

Smith's attorney said she requested no probation because she feels remorse for her crime.

The remains were found by family members while they were stringing cable under the home.

Smith's family said that she has been fighting a drug addiction her entire adult life, mainly struggling with cocaine and meth.

They also said that she has been pregnant many times.

"She would stay gone months at a time," said Smith's sister-in-law Hayley Fugate. "When she finally came around, she would act like nothing was wrong. She'd walk in and be fine. We could be standing face to face and she would be big and she would just say she was fat. She would never say she was pregnant ever."

When asked what the family knew, Fugate, who is caring for Smith's known children, said nothing. She said all they had were their suspicions of pregnancies and that they had no idea those babies were under the house.

READ MORE: Woman arrested in Smithfield baby remains case

Like the warrant says, she's been pregnant about ten times," Fugate told ABC11. "That's assumptions, we don't know for sure, we have never laid eyes on those babies, but we think that there are more out there."