Cody Franciscovich has pleaded guilty in Tioga County Court to Manslaughter in the First Degree for killing his 8-month-old daughter, Ruby, in early June 2019. Franciscovich, 26, faces 29 years in prison when he is sentenced at a later date.
He was originally charged with murder but the charge was dropped to manslaughter after Franciscovich admitted suffering from delusions and a mental health illness when he killed Ruby. The guilty plea takes any appeals off the table in the future.
After state police got a call from the girl’s mother on the morning of June 9, 2019, to check on Ruby’s welfare, troopers searched the area around the Deep Well Motel on Route 17C, but did not find the child. After getting a second call, troopers located Franciscovich, walking naked on Route 17C, who led them to her body behind St. Patrick’s Cemetery on Route 17C. He had dumped her body in a nearby pond. An autopsy revealed Ruby had died before entering the water.
After Ruby’s death, dozens of community members dressed in ruby gathered at St. Patrick Cemetery to honor and remember Ruby Franciscovich.
