Ohio Woman Charged With Felony Abuse Of A Corpse After Having A Miscarriage In The Toilet

Ohio Woman Charged With Felony Abuse Of A Corpse After Having A Miscarriage In The Toilet

An Ohio woman is suffering an ongoing nightmare after having a miscarriage in her home and being charged with a felony because of it.

Brittney Watts, 33, has been charged with felony abuse of a corpse after she was accused of attempting to plunge a toilet post her miscarriage delivery at 22 weeks in the restroom.

On September 22, investigators discovered a baby in Watts’ toilet. Warren Police Department Det. Nick Carney said Watts’ “felt the baby come out and there was a big splash.” Forensic pathologist Dr. George Sterbenz stated Watts’ visited the hospital twice before the sudden delivery of her unsound infant.

Ohio woman charged with felony abuse of a corpse after having a miscarriage in the toilet!

Records state she visited hospital twice before delivery 👀 pic.twitter.com/y1BrjDgfoW

— Peter Dredd (@PeterDredd) December 2, 2023

Per the autopsy, no injuries were found to the fetus, and it was deceased prior to passing through the birth canal.

“This fetus was going to be non-viable,” he said. “It was going to be non-viable because she had premature rupture of membranes — her water had broken early — and the fetus was too young to be delivered.”

However, the prosecution is fixed on moving the case forward. Lewis Guarnieri, an assistant prosecutor, said “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.” On defense, attorney Traci Timko said Watts was being “demonized” for a tragedy that occurs frequently among women.

“There are better scholars than I am to determine the exact legal status of this fetus/corpse/body/birthing tissue/whatever it is,” said Warren Municipal Court Judge Terry Ivanchak. “Matter of fact, I’m assuming most of these Issue 1’s all about at what point something becomes viable.”