A COUPLE have been arrested after allegedly keeping the decaying body of their dead baby in their home for 18 months.

Baby Ezra Stark was just 10-hours-old when he died on October 29, 2016.

3 Jared Stark put his son's dead body in a plastic storage container Credit: Defiance County Sheriff's Department

His parents Jared, 33, and Sarah, 35, are accused of moving the dead newborn’s body from room to room at their home in Hicksville, Ohio.

The couple are also accused of failing to provide emergency care for the baby, who was struggling to breathe following his birth at the property.

The child’s decomposed body was found at the family home following a police search on March 28.

Court documents seen by WANE-TV allege Jared Stark moved Ezra’s body from one room in their home to another, before eventually putting it in a plastic storage container.

3 Sarah Stark is accused of failing to provide emergency care for baby Ezra who was struggling to breathe after his birth Credit: Defiance County Sheriff's Department

The baby’s dad then put the container into a detached building that housed farm equipment and animals, it is claimed.

The pair have been charged with endangering children, with one count of abusing a corpse against the baby’s dad.

A police investigation has been launched to explore if Stark’s alleged treatment of their baby son’s body was religiously motivated.

Police are also investigating the Gospel Light Tabernacle, a church the pair regularly attended.

3 The child’s decomposed body was found at the family home in Hicksville, Ohio

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Baby Ezra’s body is set to undergo a post-mortem examination, although police are awaiting DNA test results before the coroner can begin investigating the cause of death.

The Starks will appear for a grand jury hearing on April 10, and are currently in custody at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio

Police have refused to disclose who is looking after the couple’s other child, who was also living at the same address.

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