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Brevard mom accused of killing newborn twins: 'I only saw one'

Interview recordings in Rachael Thomas case released

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – New evidence has been released in the case of a Brevard County mother accused of killing her twin newborns.

Rachael Thomas, 30, has been locked up in the Brevard County Jail since April.

On Thursday, News 6 obtained police body camera video, audio interviews, crime scene photographs and an analysis of Thomas' internet search history.

"We didn't know -- I swear to you," Thomas is heard saying to an officer in the video recording.

The body camera video is from about 4 p.m. on April 15, 2018.

The West Melbourne Police Department said that its officers responded to a scene after Thomas called 911, claiming to have given birth unsuspectingly to a baby that wasn't breathing.

"Was the baby crying when you first gave birth? No? You don't remember if the baby was crying or anything like that?" an officer is heard asking Thomas outside the home.

"I don't know," Thomas responded.

The baby boy was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Thomas is heard in the body camera video, only claiming to have given birth to one child.

Officers later searched the home and claimed to have found a deceased newborn girl in a trash can outside the house.

Detectives then conducted an audio recorded interview with Thomas while she was being treated at the same hospital, confronting her about how many babies she gave birth to.

"There was only one, I think. I only felt one. Why?" Thomas is heard saying in the audio recording.

"What do you mean you only felt one?" asked the detective.

"I only saw one," Thomas responded.

However, just one minute later, according to an audio clip provided to News 6, Thomas appeared to change her story.

"None of them made any noise or anything else," Thomas said.

"OK, how many was there?" the officer is heard asking.

"There's two," Thomas answered.

"There's two?" asked the officer.

"They were both dead. Then I got scared," Thomas responded.

West Melbourne police then booked Thomas into jail on two charges of murder.

Thomas is heard several times in the recordings saying that she had no idea that she was pregnant before giving birth. In a digital analysis of Thomas' internet search history obtained by News 6 from the State Attorney's Office, it shows a search for the phrase, "How to induce labor." According to those records, the search was conducted April 6, which is nine days before officers were called to the home on April 15.

Thomas has two other children who deputies said are staying with a relative. 

Online court records show that Thomas submitted a plea of not guilty in May.

Thomas is currently locked up without the option to post bond. 

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Inside ClickOrlando:

Woman who gave birth on toilet charged with killing newborn twins


About the Author
Troy Campbell headshot

Troy graduated from California State University Northridge with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. He has reported on Mexican drug cartel violence on the El Paso/ Juarez border, nuclear testing facilities at the Idaho National Laboratory and severe Winter weather in Michigan.

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