Mihalek introduces bill that would increase penalties for concealing the death of a child
State Rep. Natalie Mihalek, R-Upper St. Clair, has introduced a measure that would increase the penalty for concealing the death of a child.
At a Thursday afternoon press conference in the chamber where Washington County’s commissioners meet, Mihalek said the legislation is in response to the death of Archer Hollis, a 5-month-old Charleroi baby whose body was found in November inside a wall of his parents’ home. While the baby’s parents, Alan Hollis and Kylie Wilt, have since been charged with murder, the alleged concealment of the corpse is only a misdemeanor offense. Mihalek’s legislation would make it a second-degree felony.
Flanked by Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh and state Rep. Bud Cook, R-West Pike Run, Mihalek called the death of the child “without question one of the most inhumane and vile acts committed within this county.”
“It is difficult to comprehend the savagery and disregard for human life demonstrated by the parents of this precious child,” Mihalek said. “It is difficult to imagine the suffering this innocent baby endured.”
The bill will first be heard in the House’s judiciary committee before advancing to the whole House. As of Thursday, the bill had 31 co-sponsors. Mihalek explained, “It’s not a hard sell when you talk about the egregious nature of this case.”
The elder Hollis and Wilt were charged with murder about one month after the baby’s body was found and are being held in Washington County’s jail. Along with being charged with murder, concealing the death of a child and abuse of a corpse, they are also facing felony charges of child endangerment and aggravated assault, and misdemeanor charges of obstruction of justice and evidence tampering.
The infant’s decomposed remains were discovered in a plastic crate in a cubby hole next to where his parents slept. Investigators say they placed drywall over the hole at the residence on Charleroi’s Lookout Avenue.