Prosecutors in Indiana have dropped murder charges against a couple accused of killing two children and burning their bodies in a firepit. Steven Valle, 31, and Samantha Sebella, 25, were initially facing charges of murder, neglect of a dependent causing death, abuse of a corpse, and failure to report a dead body. However, prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss the charges, which a judge granted without prejudice. This allows the possibility of refiling the case at a later date.
Jasper County Prosecutor Jacob Taulman stated that the dismissal was partly to allow anthropologists to continue analyzing the remains found in the firepit, as the small size of the material made the process difficult and time-consuming. Investigators are also examining digital data from phones and other devices. Despite the dismissal, prosecutors are confident they will seek justice in the case.
On the other hand, Valle’s defense attorney argues that there is no evidence supporting the claim that a crime occurred and hopes the dismissal will end the matter. The investigation began in late September when a friend of Valle’s reported that he confessed to killing his two children. Valle allegedly told his friend that he and Sebella had smothered their first child and drowned their second before burning the bodies. The children were referred to as “undocumented,” meaning they were not formally registered with authorities or given a birth certificate or social security number.
Detectives traced Valle and Sebella to a hotel in Newton County, where they denied knowledge of the deaths, but their phones were seized as evidence. A third undocumented child was also removed from their custody. Investigators, along with cadaver dogs, searched the couple’s former property in Wheatfield, where they uncovered bone fragments. The property had been abandoned after the couple was evicted in July. The bone fragments were later determined to be human after testing in Indianapolis.
In October, police extracted incriminating text messages from Sebella’s phone. She allegedly texted Valle about their children’s deaths, calling him a “baby killer” and accusing him of causing their deaths. She also claimed that their children’s DNA would always remain with her and that investigators would uncover the truth. One message stated, “They will know everything you took me to the doctor in 2017 to prove that I was pregnant.”
When confronted with this evidence, Valle allegedly admitted that Sebella gave birth to a boy in 2018. He claimed that when he arrived home, the child was unresponsive, and he believed the child had died. He said he wrapped the boy in a blanket, placed him in a box, and buried him in the backyard. Several days later, he allegedly realized the child would not survive and buried the boy next to a shed.
Valle also said that after the boy’s death, Sebella became pregnant again, giving birth to a premature girl while Valle was at work. Valle claimed that the girl was also dead when he returned home and that he buried her next to the boy.
Years later, Valle reportedly unearthed the children’s bodies and burned them in the firepit. Afterward, he allegedly sifted through the ashes and found bone fragments. He is said to have kept some of the ashes to create a necklace as a memento.
Prosecutors are continuing to investigate the case and have made it clear that they intend to seek justice for the children. Despite the dismissal, the evidence uncovered thus far is likely to play a significant role in the ongoing proceedings.
