Charges dropped in case of newborn’s remains found in suitcase: ‘Our hearts break for the child’

Lake County prosecutors dropped charges this week against a Washington state woman who they say left the body of her newborn in a suitcase at the Riverwoods home of relatives.

Natalie Schram, 41, of Bellingham, Washington, was charged last year with three Class 4 felonies: concealment of a corpse, concealment of a death, and failing to report the disappearance of a child.

Authorities later determined, though, that the laws used as the basis to charge Schram were not yet in effect when she was alleged to have violated them, State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said.

The charges against her were dismissed at a Monday court hearing.

“First and foremost, our hearts break for the child at the center of this case,” Rinehart said in a statement. “We were compelled to dismiss this case because we became aware of new information that unequivocally established that the conduct occurred before all relevant statutes were in effect.”

The three laws became effective between 2011 and 2013, he said.

Police say the remains of the infant in the suitcase, which were bones, were discovered by a work crew on a residential property in the 1800 block of Robinwood Lane on or about May 5, 2020.

Relatives of Schram lived there, authorities said, and she moved to Washington several years ago.

Authorities said items in the suitcase directly linked the body to Schram, along with DNA evidence and profiles created by the FBI.

They said the remains may have been in the suitcase for years before they were discovered, and declined to comment when asked whether police think the child was born alive or was stillborn.

Rinehart said this week that at the time of Schram’s arrest in December of 2025, investigators did not know the identity of the infant’s father. However, the man was later identified.

After interviewing the man, Rinehart said authorities determined that the child was born and died sometime between November of 2009 and February of 2010 — about a year before the first statute she was accused of violating went into effect.

“Although these laws now criminalize the conduct alleged in this case, both the Illinois and United States Constitutions prohibit the retroactive application of criminal laws,” Rinehart said. “The state therefore cannot prosecute an individual for conduct that was not a criminal offense at the time it occurred.”

The charges against Schram were all Class 4 felonies, which are punishable by a one- to three-year prison term. She was not detained after her arrest and was allowed to return to Washington. Her attorney declined to comment this week.