DOVER-FOXCROFT (AP) – A Milo man who burned the body of an infant on his property has ended the case by paying a $2,000 fine.

Ralph Disley, 47, pleaded guilty to falsifying evidence, and no additional charges will be filed against him, prosecutors said.

Acting on a tip, police found Disley burning the infant’s remains in a debris pile behind his home on April 2, 2004.

The state medical examiner was unable to determine whether the infant was born alive, so the state could not bring homicide charges, said William Stokes, chief of the criminal division of the attorney general’s office.

Also, it was never determined if the baby was related to someone at the house Disley shared with his wife and two teenage daughters.

“Given the limitations of the evidence, I think it’s the best outcome we could have since we were never able to determine forensically whether the infant was born alive or not,” Stokes said.

Prosecutors were left with few options after a charge of abuse of a corpse against Disley was thrown out because a detective missed a court date.

Police began the investigation after they received a tip from a resident who reported what he believed were the remains of an infant on the Disley property.

The infant’s remains appeared to be full term or close to full term, Stokes said.

By burning the body, Disley eliminated evidence needed for an investigation, he said. The medical examiner could not even determine the infant’s gender.

“Disley knew or should have known that law enforcement would want to investigate further. As a result of his conduct, we were unable to do anything forensically to determine whether the child took a breath,” Stokes said.

—

Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

AP-ES-06-08-06 1530EDT