READING, Pa. —
A woman who secretly conceived several children through an extramarital affair killed at least four of her newborns, then kept their remains in coolers or encased in concrete in her closet until family members found them this year, authorities said Monday.
Michele Kalina, 44, of Reading, hid at least six pregnancies from her husband and longtime boyfriend, according to officials in Berks County, where homicide charges were filed Monday against the home-health aide.
DNA tests show the bones found in a locked closet came from five babies, at least four of whom were born alive, authorities said. The boyfriend fathered three and possibly four of the victims. Tests on the fifth baby were inconclusive.
Dogs trained to search for human remains have scoured Kalina’s current and former homes in the Reading area.
“I’m very confident we have all the babies,” District Attorney John T. Adams said at an afternoon news conference.
Kalina has been in custody since August on abuse-of-corpse charges and is being held without bail after she was arraigned Monday on one count of criminal homicide, aggravated assault and related charges. Additional counts may be filed before trial, Adams said.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday. Public defender Holly Feeney declined to comment Monday.
Kalina also bore a daughter from the same affair in 2003 but gave the baby up for adoption, authorities said. She and her husband, Jeffrey, have a 19-year-old daughter and had a 13-year-old son with cerebral palsy who died in 2000. That death is not suspicious, Adams said.
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October 26, 2010
