First picture of baby who survived being ripped from womb as mother was 'murdered'

The body of Savanna Lafontaine-Greywind, 22, was found wrapped in plastic in the Red River near Fargo on Sunday. She was eight months pregnant when she went missing on August 19. Photo / Facebook

The first picture of a baby girl who survived the alleged murder of her pregnant mother while growing inside her have been shared by her proud father.

The body of pregnant 22-year-old Savanna Lafontaine-Greywind was found wrapped in plastic and duct tape in the Red River near Fargo in North Dakota on Sunday.

Ms Lafontaine-Greywind was eight months pregnant when she went missing on August 19 after going to visit her neighbour Brooke Lynn Crews.

Ms Crews, 38, and her boyfriend William Hoehn, 32, were both charged over her death on Monday after the body was found.

Now, Ms Lafontaine-Greywind's parents, and her boyfriend, Ashton Matheny, have met baby Haisley Jo for the first time at Fargo hospital, saying she is 'beautiful' and looks just like her mother, Valley News Live reported.

The first picture of Haisley Jo, whose mother was allegedly murdered while pregnant with her by 'womb raiders'. Photo / Facebook

Sharing pictures of his daughter after they were reunited, Mr Matheny told WDAY6: "I was just overwhelmed with joy."

Last week, Ms Lafontaine-Greywind's family came together at her funeral, with Mr Matheny said was a fitting tribute, the MailOnline reported.

'It was a very beautiful service befitting of Savanna. It was wonderful that Haisley Jo was able to spend those moments along with her family, as well.'

The victim's mother, Norberta Greywind, said that the baby is healthy and that they have not heard when she will be released from Sanford Health Hospital.

In addition, Norberta said the DNA tests have not come back yet to confirm Haisley Jo is her granddaughter.

She added that seeing the baby brought them a lot of joy, but they are dealing with the pain of losing their daughter and planning her funeral.

Her parents (above) and boyfriend met the healthy baby, named Haisley Jo, that's believed to be hers. Photo / Facebook

A date has not been set yet, as they need assistance in covering the funeral costs.

They are asking people who want to help pay for the funeral or donate money to support the baby to any US Bank across the country.

Ms Crews and Mr Hoehn had previously been arrested when a two-day-old baby, believed to be Ms Lafontaine-Greywind's daughter, was found in their apartment.

Hoehn told police he came home to their bloodied apartment on August 19 and claimed Ms Crews presented him with the baby girl saying: "This is our baby. This is our family."

He said he took garbage bags containing bloody shoes and his bloody towels and disposed of them away from the apartment complex, according to court documents filed on Monday.

It is a different version to what his girlfriend claimed happened.

Ms Crews had initially told police that Ms Lafontaine-Greywind gave up her baby before admitting to taking advantage of the woman in an attempt to get her baby.

Brooke Lynn Crews (left), 38, and her boyfriend William Hoehn (right), 32, were both formally charged over Greywind's death on Monday after the body was found. Photo / AP

According to court documents, Ms Crews told police she arranged to have Ms Lafontaine-Greywind come to her apartment on August 19 and told her how to induce labour.

Ms Crews said Ms Lafontaine-Greywind came back two days later to give her the newborn baby.

"Crews admitted she had taken advantage of Savanna Greywind in an attempt to obtain her child and possibly keep the child as her own," the documents said.

Two kayakers found Ms Lafontaine-Greywind's body wrapped in plastic and duct tape, floating in the Red River Sunday evening.

Ms Crews and Mr Hoehn faced court on Monday charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and giving false information.

They didn't enter pleas and their bond was set at $2million for each of the suspects.

Neither showed much emotion, although Mr Hoehn objected to the bail amount as "unattainable for any regular person".

Their court-appointed attorneys, Stormy Vickers for Mr Hoehn and Monty Mertz for Ms Crews, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Experts had previously said it was possible Ms Lafontaine-Greywind was the victim of womb raiders, people who cut babies out of pregnant women to steal them.

Experts had previously said it was possible Ms Greywind was the victim of womb raiders, people who cut babies out of pregnant women to steal them. Photo / Facebook

While womb raiding is a terrifying scenario, it's also exceptionally rare, at less than 20 cases in the U.S. total.

Infant abduction expert John Rabun, of the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, told Inforum that typically womb raiders are women who have faked a pregnancy in order to keep a partner from leaving her.

As the fake pregnancy nears full term, the woman finds a victim and performs a forced caesarean section to steal the baby.

"This actually takes some fairly detailed planning," Mr Rabun said. "Usually, the woman who needs the baby will befriend the pregnant woman. She'll play on the common bond of them both being pregnant, even though she really isn't pregnant. She'll gain trust however she can."

But what's different about this case is that the two people arrested in connection to Ms Lafontaine-Greywind's disappearance are a man and a woman.

"What's unusual in this case is you have both a man and a woman," said Ann Burgess, a Boston College nursing professor who was a lead researcher in a 2002 study on newborn kidnapping by Caesarean section. "If it turns out to be what we're talking about, it would be unusual because, in most cases, the man is just on the periphery. He isn't part of what's going on until after the fact."

Mr Hoehn and Ms Crews were Ms Lafontaine-Greywind's neighbors and it is believed she had gone to their apartment to help them with a sewing project before she disappeared.