Ohio Woman Charged With Abuse Of A Corpse After Suffering Miscarriage At Home

An Ohio woman is facing charges after miscarrying at her home. 

Brittany Watts of Warren reportedly suffered a miscarriage at 22 weeks in September 2023 after visiting the hospital three times in four days prior to the miscarriage with vaginal bleeding. Sadly, the 33-year-old Watts miscarried while using the bathroom inside her home. Afterward, prosecutors say she clogged the toilet with the fetus and eventually left the fetal contents in the garbage. For this action, Watts has been charged with felony abuse of a corpse.

Medical records confirm that after the miscarriage, Watts returned to the hospital, telling staff what occurred. While seeking help and unbeknownst to Watts, a nurse contacted the police, telling them that Watts had discarded the baby following the miscarriage. During the investigation, forensic pathologist Dr. George Sterbenz confirmed that the fetus had died in the womb due to premature rupture of membranes (PROM), not her trying to plunge the fetus. This occurs when “the amniotic sac breaks before 37 weeks of pregnancy,” the Cleveland Clinic explains.

“This fetus was going to be non-viable. And it was going to be non-viable because she had premature rupture of membranes. Her water had broken early,” Sterbenz confirmed on the stand. Still, prosecutors believe Watts discarded the fetus in a way that showed little regard.

“The issue isn’t how the child died, when the child died — it’s the fact that the baby was put into a toilet, large enough to clog up a toilet, left in that toilet, and she went on [with] her day,” Warren assistant prosecutor Lewis Guarnieri said in court.

Watts now faces up to a year in prison and a possible $2,500 fine.