Parents accused of keeping infant son’s remains in concrete-filled tote in closet

MINOT, N.D. (KMOT/KVLY/Gray News) - A North Dakota couple are facing charges after police say their infant son died in 2023, and they allegedly encased his remains in concrete and kept them in a plastic tote in the closet.

Ward County prosecutors charged Craig Kerzmann, 49, and Sarah Kerzmann, 45, with failure to report the corpse of a child and disturbing a human burial site, both felonies. Investigators say while the couple was living in Texas in 2023, their infant son died, and they allegedly encased his remains in concrete in a plastic tote before fleeing to Minot, North Dakota.

Minot Police found a tote filled with concrete in the couple’s closet Saturday, and an X-ray revealed a void in the concrete where something would have been encased. The tote was sent to the state medical examiner.

Police say Craig Kerzmann admitted a dead child was in the closet, according to criminal affidavits.

Sarah Kerzmann told investigators she had triplets – two girls and a boy – while living in Wichita Falls, Texas, years ago, the affidavits said. She came home from work one day in April 2023 and found her son, who was around 6 months old, unresponsive and aspirating milk. She said she tried to resuscitate him but was unsuccessful.

She said she tried to contact law enforcement in Texas, but Craig Kerzmann told her not to because he was the one home with the infant at the time, according to the affidavits. Instead, she said he instructed her to buy items from the hardware store to “take care of it.”

She told investigators in North Dakota she bought a tote and cement, and the two of them encased their son’s body inside the tote.

The court ordered Craig Kerzmann to be held on a $150,000 bond Monday after the prosecutor called him a danger to the community and a flight risk. He is also ordered to avoid contact with Sarah Kerzmann.

At Sarah Kerzmann’s initial appearance Tuesday, a judge ordered her held on a $5,000 cash or corporate surety bond. She cannot leave North Dakota.

At the hearing, prosecutor Tiffany Sorgen told the judge authorities in Texas are investigating the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death but could not comment on specifics.

The Kerzmanns will appear for their preliminary hearings and arraignments Oct. 1.