2-Month-Old Baby Found Dead In Duffle Bag With Ice; Mom Finally Arrested

A fugitive mom from Texas, who was wanted after her 2-month-old baby daughter was found dead inside a duffle bag full of ice in a Baytown motel room last year, has been arrested, police said.

Officers, acting on a tip from Crime Stoppers, searched 32-year-old Nikki Reardon's room at the Scottish Inn Suites in September 2020 and discovered her dead infant surrounded by ice inside a pink duffle bag. Reardon had been on the run since, KTRK-TV reported.

The person who provided authorities with the tip said the child had been dead for at least 48 hours.

Police noted the children's clothing and toys scattered throughout Reardon's room before the discovery of the dead infant, but the mother reportedly kept ignoring any questions pertaining to a child. Once authorities returned with a search warrant and discovered the body, she explained she had no recollection of the events in the past hours.

Officers also found methamphetamine and marijuana inside Reardon's room. Court records showed Reardon told officers she was selling the former and cocaine to make a living.

According to Reardon, she woke up at around 4:15 p.m. after packing and found the baby face down on the bed. When asked why she did not call and request for an ambulance, the woman reportedly told officers, "It was too late. She wasn't breathing. What were they doing to do?"

Reardon did not appear in court early last month for an aggravated robbery charge. She is now facing charges of tampering with evidence, primarily a corpse, and child endangerment, on top of other charges not disclosed by authorities. She is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

Her bond is set at $35,000, with $20,000 for tampering with evidence, primarily a corpse, and $15,000 for endangering a child.

Reardon has not been charged directly with the death of her daughter, but prosecutors have stated they want the mother to be found and held accountable.

Police have no disclosed any other information, including the name of the infant or the cause of her death.