A Washington state woman was arraigned Thursday in Lake County on charges that she left the body of her newborn infant in a suitcase at a Riverwoods family residence five years ago.
Natalie Schram, 40, of the Bellingham area, appeared before Judge Michael Nerheim and entered a not guilty plea to four counts, including concealment of a death, which are all Class 4 felonies. Authorities said additional charges could be levied, depending on the ongoing investigation.
Schram’s attorney, Jonathan Bedi, asked the judge to allow his client to appear via Zoom at her next court date, which is in February. Nerheim granted the request and ordered that Schram go to the Riverwoods Police Department for processing within the next 48 hours.
Bedi declined to comment after the hearing.
Police say the body of the infant in the suitcase was discovered by a work crew on a residential property on or about May 5, 2020. Family members of Schram lived in the house in the 1800 block of Robinwood Lane, Riverwoods Detective David Martinovich said Thursday.
Martinovich, who has been following the case for five years and attended the arraignment, said items in the suitcase directly linked the body to Schram, along with DNA evidence and profiles created by the FBI.
“She is presumed to be the mother of the baby, based on the FBI analysis,” Martinovich said.
Martinovich said the remains of the newborn, which were bones, may have been in the suitcase for several years before it was discovered. He declined to comment when asked whether police think the child was born alive or was stillborn.
The detective said Schram had moved to Washington two to three years ago. Schram declined to be interviewed by police, he said.
According to court records, a grand jury issued a Jane Doe indictment in 2020. In July, a different panel reissued the indictment, this time naming Schram as the person allegedly responsible for concealing the child’s death.
She is also charged with abuse of a corpse and failing to notify the authorities of the death of a child.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/newborn-baby-mother-charges/



