Maria and Edmund's child tragedies were not over. Shortly after her one-night fling with brother-in-law Dimitri, Maria found out that she was pregnant. Skye Chandler managed to seduce a lab technician which then allowed her access to Maria's paternity test results. In true soap opera fashion, Skye doctored the results to make it look like Dimitri was the father---when Edmund was really daddy dearest. Skye hoped that Edmund would then fall for her. That never happened. When Erica learned about Maria's baby's paternity, she confronted Maria in a cabin at Willow Lake during a horrible ice storm. The heated confrontation proved to be too stressful for Maria and she went into premature labor. Erica was the only one who could save the baby. But while en route to the hospital, Erica's car skidded off the road and the baby was lost in Willow Lake. Or so everyone thought. While trying to prove to herself and everyone else that she did not willingly let the baby drown in Willow Lake, Erica found that a woman who lived in a trailer near Willow Lake had plucked the baby from the icy waters of the lake. Erica convinced the woman, Esther Glynn, that the baby was really hers. Erica prepared to return the baby to Maria, but she overheard a conversation between Dimitri and Maria in which Dimitri said it was fortunate that the baby was killed. Erica decided that she could not allow the baby to be raised in a house without love and took matters into her own hands. For months Erica claimed that she had adopted the baby from Russia. But later it was learned that the Russian adoption agency had turned down Erica's request to adopt a child. So then Erica claimed that Esther allowed her to adopt the child, Esther's child. The guilt built and Erica decided that she had to take the baby back to Edmund and Maria. The infant was reunited with Maria, but simply returning the baby did not serve justice in Edmund and Maria's eyes. Erica was charged with kidnapping and two other felonies.

Maria, Edmund and Maddie went to New York City for Brooke's award ceremony. During the flight back to Pine Valley, Maria switched seats with Brooke so that Brooke and Edmund could work on Tempo stuff. Maria noticed a manila envelope in her briefcase, opened it and read it. This was the letter written by Skye Chandler revealing Maddie's true paternity. As Maria went to give Edmund the good news, the plane started shaking, it exploded and crashed. All but four people died - Brooke, Edmund, Maddie, and Jim Thomasen. Maria was stuck in her seat and the plane went down into the waters below. Maria is presumed dead, her body was never recovered.