Fetal abduction explained

Fetal abduction refers to the rare crime of child abduction by kidnapping of an at term pregnant woman and extraction of her fetus through a crude cesarean section.[1] Dr. Michael H. Stone and Dr. Gary Brucato have alternatively referred to this crime as "fetus-snatching" or "fetus abduction."[2] Homicide expert Vernon J. Geberth has used the term "fetal kidnapping."[3] In the small number of reported cases, a few pregnant victims and about half of their fetuses survived the assault and non-medically performed cesarean.

Fetal abduction does not refer to medically induced labor or obstetrical extraction. The definition of the subject does not include compulsory cesarean sections[4] for medical reasons nor child removal from parents for court-approved child protection. However, the "Children of the Disappeared" (desaparecidos) in the Argentine Dirty War are an example of criminal fetal abduction in state institutions as detailed by testimonies on cesarean delivery on desaparecidas and child adoption in a military hospital.[5] [6] Historical cases of cesarean extraction for fetal murder (not for child adoption) fall outside the subject definition.[7]

Fetal abductions typically start with the lie that the perpetrator is pregnant and often coincide with a fear of losing a romantic partner. Then the perpetrator murders a pregnant woman to claim the fetus as her own (as a stillborn baby or, if the fetus survives, as a newborn child).[8]

Abductor profile

Fetal abduction is mostly perpetrated by women, usually after organized planning.[9] The abductor may befriend the pregnant victim. In some cases, the abductor impersonates a pregnant woman and later a puerperal mother, using weight gain and a prosthesis to fake a pregnancy and cutting of the reproductive organs to replicate injuries gained during birth. Some abductors then take the neonate to a hospital. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s spokesperson, Cathy Nahirny, stated in 2007, “Many times the abductor fakes a pregnancy and when it is time to deliver the baby, must abduct someone else's child”.[10] Criminal motives include delusions of fulfilling a partner relationship, child-bearing and childbirth.[11] [12] [13] [14]

Statistics

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recorded 18 cases of fetal abductions in the United States between 1983 and 2015, which represented 6% of the 302 recorded cases of infant abduction.

List of reported cases and attempts

Out of the 25 documented cases of fetal abduction, excluding attempts, there have been 4 instances where the mothers survived and 13 where the fetus survived. This list distinguishes actual abductions from attempted abductions. An attempt can involve severe harm inflicted on both the mother and fetus, but it does not result in the mother's murder or the extraction of the fetus.

Fetal abduction cases

1987

1995

1996

1998

2000

2003

2004

2006

2008

2009

2011

2013

2015

2017

2019

2020

2022

Fetal abduction attempts

2009

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. News: Joanna. Walters. Fetal abduction: brutal attacks against expectant mothers on the rise in US. Guardian. December 2, 2015. August 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170829041314/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/02/fetal-abduction-attacks-expectant-mothers. August 29, 2017. live.
  2. Michael H. Stone & Gary Brucato. The New Evil: Understanding the Emergence of Modern Violent Crime (Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 2019).
  3. Web site: 2015-11-22 . Baby ripped from murdered mom's womb under police guard at hospital . 2023-06-13 . en-US.
  4. Francis R . Compulsory Caesarean sections: an English perspective. . J Contemp Health Law Policy . 1998 . 14 . 2 . 365–89 . 9693485 . August 31, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170831221120/http://scholarship.law.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1338&context=jchlp . August 31, 2017 . live .
  5. Web site: Project Disappeared. La Sombra de Campo de Mayo Hospital militar – Partos de desaparecidas. 2015 . es. Dos Partos – cesárea.
  6. Web site: Report of Conadep – 1984 The Campo de Mayo Hospital. Nunca Más (Never Again). en. August 31, 2017.
  7. Szabó A . Sectio caesarea criminalis [Criminal caesarean section] ]. Orv Hetil . 2015 . 156 . 22 . 901–2 . hu . 26004550 . 10.1556/650.2015.HO2524 . August 30, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170830192133/http://real.mtak.hu/38619/1/650.2015.ho2524.pdf . August 30, 2017 . live .
  8. Web site: Fetal Abduction: Women Who Kill Pregnant Women for Their Babies. True Crime Blog. en. January 15, 2024.
  9. Welner . Michael . Burgess . Ann . O'Malley . Kate Y. . December 2021 . Fetal abduction by maternal evisceration: A planned homicide . Forensic Science International . 329 . 111057 . 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.111057 . 1872-6283 . 34739916.
  10. News: The women who kill for babies . . . . A US jury has recommended the death penalty for a woman convicted of killing a pregnant stranger, cutting her abdomen open and stealing her unborn baby. . October 11, 2011 . Chris . Summers . October 27, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111015183425/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6990419.stm . October 15, 2011 . live .
  11. Burgess AW, Baker T, Nahirny C, Rabun JB. Newborn kidnapping by cesarean section.. J Forensic Sci. 2002. 47. 4. 827–30. 12136992. August 30, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171005212014/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=12136992. October 5, 2017. live. 10.1520/JFS15462J.
  12. Web site: Marlene. Dalley. Abductions from the womb : Caesarean section murder a new category of homicide. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 2005. January 7, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20111028064339/http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/pubs/omc-ned/caesar-cesarien-eng.pdf. October 28, 2011. dead.
  13. Burgess AW, Dillon MA, Chiou KY, Hulsopple SB. Fetal Abduction: Comparison of Two Cases. . J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv . 2016 . 54 . 11 . 37–43 . 27805715 . 10.3928/02793695-20161024-07 . August 30, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171005160316/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=27805715 . October 5, 2017 . live .
  14. Yutzy SH, Wolfson JK, Resnick PJ. Child stealing by cesarean section: a psychiatric case report and review of the child stealing literature. . J Forensic Sci . 1993 . 38 . 1 . 192–6 . 8426152 . 10.1520/JFS13392J . August 30, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171005212026/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=8426152 . October 5, 2017 . live .
  15. Web site: Cindy Ray – The Murder of Cindy Ray . about.com . 2011 . October 11, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111112135616/http://crime.about.com/od/women/a/Darcie_Pierce.htm . November 12, 2011 . live .
  16. Web site: 10 Cases of Fetal Abduction in the US . listverse.com . 2011 . October 11, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111002051458/http://listverse.com/2008/09/20/10-cases-of-fetal-abduction-in-the-us/ . October 2, 2011 . live .
  17. Web site: The Case of Deborah Evans . about.com . 2011 . On November 16, 1995, in Addison, Illinois, Jacqueline Williams, 28, her boyfriend, Fedell Caffey, 22, and her cousin, Laverne Ward, 24, entered the home of Ward's ex-girlfriend, 28-year-old Deborah Evans. . October 11, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111112141040/http://crime.about.com/od/women/a/DeborahEvans.htm . November 12, 2011 . live .
  18. Web site: Homicides Involving the Theft of a Fetus from a Pregnant Victim reprinted from Law and Order, Vol. 54, No. 3, March, 2006 . Vernon J. Geberth . practicalhomicide.com . 2009 . October 11, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120209164334/http://www.practicalhomicide.com/Research/LOmar2006.htm . February 9, 2012 . live .
  19. Web site: 1981604. – BURTON v. State. – AL Supreme Court . caselaw.findlaw.com . 2011 . Ex parte Angela BURTON. (Re Angela Burton v. State). . October 11, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084108/http://caselaw.findlaw.com/al-supreme-court/1473835.html . March 4, 2016 . live .
  20. News: Life sentence for ripping baby from womb – News – The Independent . . . . 0951-9467 . 185201487 . AN ALABAMA woman has been sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a pregnant teenager and stealing the still-living foetus from her womb so she could pretend she was the child's mother. The decision disappointed prosecutors who were seeking the death penalty. . October 11, 2011 . David . Usborne . December 16, 1998 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092901/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/life-sentence-for-ripping-baby-from-womb-1191728.html . March 4, 2016 . live .
  21. News: Alabama man convicted of kidnapping fetus . findarticles.com . 2011 . A jury in Tuscaloosa, AL, recently convicted a man of kidnapping a fetus from a murdered girl's body. . October 11, 2011.
  22. News: Margarita Flores Murder | Woman Convicted in Murder of Pregnant Mother Kills Self . . 2011 . FRESNO—A woman convicted three days ago of killing a mother and unborn child committed suicide early Saturday in her one-person jail cell, saying the humiliation was too much to stand. . October 11, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100417122022/http://articles.latimes.com/2001/mar/25/news/mn-42574 . April 17, 2010 . live .
  23. Web site: Hughes County deputy had 2 of 13 similar cases | NewsOK.com. newsok.com. 2011. Their move came shortly after a jury in Fresno, Calif., convicted Josefina Saldana of a pregnant Margarita Flores and cutting out her unborn son.. October 11, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20131023055811/http://newsok.com/hughes-county-deputy-had-2-of-13-similar-cases/article/1784666. October 23, 2013. live.
  24. News: A Mother by Invention . time.com . 2011 . October 11, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111013155233/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998214,00.html . October 13, 2011 . dead .
  25. News: Amy Beth. Graves. Chance meeting at store led to killing, baby theft. Associated Press. October 8, 2000.
  26. Web site: Altus Times – Missing pregnant woman found dead with abdomen cut open fetus gone . altustimes.com . 2011 . A missing pregnant woman was found dead in a field with her abdomen cut open and the fetus removed, and a 37-year-old woman was in custody after bringing a dead fetus to a hospital. . October 11, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120331052950/http://www.altustimes.com/view/full_story/1274804/article-Missing-pregnant-woman-found-dead-with-abdomen-cut-open--fetus-gone . March 31, 2012 .
  27. Web site: Marshall Democrat-News: Obituaries: Carolyn Diane Simpson (12/30/03) . marshallnews.com . 2003 . October 11, 2011 . https://archive.today/20130128122947/http://www.marshallnews.com/story/1058398.html . January 28, 2013 . live .
  28. Web site: Slain Pregnant Woman Was 'Trusting' . . abcnews.go.com . 2011 . October 11, 2011.
  29. News: Roban bebe del vientre de su madre. August 30, 2017. El Tiempo. June 5, 2004. es. https://web.archive.org/web/20170830195848/http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-1544197. August 30, 2017. live.
  30. Roversi. Susana P. García. Una nueva categoría de homicidios por causas personales según el FBI. Secuestro "in utero" o rapto fetal (fetal abduction). es, en. Misión Jurídica. July 1, 2015. 8. 9. 177–196. August 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170829000555/https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/5645577.pdf. August 29, 2017. live. 10.25058/1794600X.104.
  31. Web site: 2004-06-05 . ROBAN BEBÉ DEL VIENTRE DE SU MADRE . 2024-06-21 . El Tiempo . spanish.
  32. Web site: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff, v. LISA M. MONTGOMERY, a/k/a Darlene Fischer, a/k/a Fischer4kids. Justice.gov. August 31, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20131020065625/http://www.justice.gov/usao/mow/news2007/montgomery_indictment.pdf. October 20, 2013. live.
  33. Web site: Fetus-Snatching Murderer, Lisa Montgomery, Sentenced To Death. digitaljournal.com. 2011. In 2004, Lisa Montgomery strangled a 23 year old pregnant woman, Bobbie Jo Stinnett, who was found in her home in Skidmore, Missouri, with her belly cut open and her unborn child missing.. October 11, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20120529194553/http://digitaljournal.com/article/252727. May 29, 2012. live.
  34. Web site: Lisa Montgomery's conviction upheld . 4law.co.il . 2011 . A federal appeals court panel today upheld Lisa Montgomery’s conviction in the 2004 slaying of Bobbie Jo Stinnett of Skidmore, Mo., and the kidnapping of Stinnett’s unborn child. A jury subsequently sentenced Montgomery, 43, to death. . October 11, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120404111225/http://www.4law.co.il/baby1.htm . April 4, 2012 . live .
  35. News: Illinois Women Gets Life in Prison for Murdering Pregnant Friend, Unborn Child Cut From the Womb, and Victim's Other Three Children . foxnews.com . 2011 . An Illinois woman pleaded guilty Monday to killing her pregnant friend, the unborn child and the victim's three children in a plea deal that allowed her to avoid the death penalty. . October 11, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120111142357/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,364765,00.html . January 11, 2012 . live .
  36. Web site: Kids of fetus-theft mom found dead . NBC News . 2011 . October 11, 2011.
  37. Web site: The Murder of Araceli Camacho Gomez . about.com . 2011 . Araceli Camacho Gomez, 27, from Pasco, Washington, was the mother of two children and just two weeks away from giving birth to her son when she met Phiengchai Sisouvanh Synhavong at a bus stop on June 27, 2008. . October 11, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111112135313/http://crime.about.com/od/women/a/synhavong.htm . November 12, 2011 . dead .
  38. News: Woman charged in death of eviscerated pregnant teen . https://archive.today/20120709112020/http://articles.cnn.com/2008-07-20/justice/baby.mystery_1_criminal-homicide-criminal-complaint-case-moves . dead . July 9, 2012 . cnn.com . 2011 . A Pennsylvania woman has been charged in the slaying of an 18-year-old woman who was found with her uterus cut open and her fetus removed, authorities said Sunday. . October 11, 2011 .
  39. Web site: Fetus cut from womb of woman found in closet. Scott J. Croteau. Telegram.com. August 31, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170831221619/http://www.telegram.com/article/20090729/NEWS/907290408/1116. August 31, 2017. live.
  40. News: Foetus cut from murdered US woman . BBC News . July 29, 2009 . April 6, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170831223318/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8175066.stm . August 31, 2017 . live .
  41. News: Peter. Schworm. Woman gets life for killing neighbor, cutting baby from womb. Boston Globe. February 18, 2014. August 31, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170831215453/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/02/18/julie-corey-sentenced-life-prison-for-murdering-woman-and-stealing-her-unborn-baby/DfrY3p7zlTCHEskuOBTeJJ/story.html. August 31, 2017. live.
  42. News: My Daughter and My Grandson Deserved to Live . KVAL, KATU News Portland . June 7, 2009 . September 2, 2019 .
  43. News: Korena Roberts Pleads Guilty; Sentenced to Life in Prison. . The Oregonian/OregonLive . October 7, 2010 . September 2, 2019 .
  44. News: Police say killer of pregnant Ky. woman lured victim with a lie . . Casey . Glynn . April 20, 2011 . February 18, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120218073206/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20055747-504083.html . February 18, 2012 . live .
  45. News: PKy. woman faces life for cutting baby out of womb . . February 17, 2012 . February 18, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120217214316/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57380423/ky-woman-faces-life-for-cutting-baby-out-of-womb/ . February 17, 2012 . live .
  46. News: Kathy Coy sentenced . . March 2, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120304122052/http://www.wbko.com/home/headlines/KATHY_COY_SENTENCED__141032833.html . March 4, 2012 .
  47. Web site: Glynn . Casey . 2011-04-20 . Police say killer of pregnant Ky. woman lured victim with a lie - CBS News . 2024-06-21 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  48. News: Milwaukee Woman Rips Fetus From Mother, Killing 23-Year-Old And Unborn Child: Cops . . Ben . Muessig . October 10, 2011 . October 11, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111012132910/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/10/woman-removes-fetus-from-mother-milwaukee_n_1003283.html . October 12, 2011 . live .
  49. News: DA files charges in death of pregnant woman, unborn child . . Laura . Matovina . October 10, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120123144734/http://www.cbs58.com/news/top-stories/DA-files-charges-in-fetal-abduction-casae--131476298.html . January 23, 2012 .
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  51. Web site: Staff . Crimesider . 2012-09-20 . Annette Morales-Rodriguez, Wisconsin woman, convicted in fetal-abduction deaths - CBS News . 2024-06-21 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
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  56. News: Coffman. Keith. Colorado woman sentenced to 100 years for cutting fetus from woman. Reuters. April 29, 2016. December 14, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181213215322/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-colorado-stabbing-idUSKCN0XQ2GQ. December 13, 2018. live.
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  63. Web site: Three charged in Marlen Ochoa-Lopez murder case plead not guilty. 26 June 2019.
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  68. Web site: 2022-11-09 . Taylor Parker sentenced to death for murder of New Boston mother, unborn baby . 2024-06-21 . KTALnews.com . en-US.
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  70. Web site: GUILTY | Taylor Parker convicted of capital murder . 3 October 2022 .
  71. Web site: BREAKING | Taylor Parker sentenced to death . 9 November 2022 .
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  74. Web site: Pineville Woman Indicted for Killing Unborn Child of Kidnapping Victim. 27 June 2023 .
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  77. News: Edecio. Martinez. Veronica Deramous Gets 25 Years for Trying to Cut Baby from Another Woman's Womb. CBS NEWS. November 8, 2010. August 30, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170830202145/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/veronica-deramous-gets-25-years-for-trying-to-cut-baby-from-another-womans-womb/. August 30, 2017. live.