Fetal Abduction
What is Fetal Abduction?
Fetal abduction occurs when a pregnant mother is forced to undergo a cesarean. The abductor will then kidnap the fetus, and the mother is usually murdered or killed during the cesarean. The type of abduction is somewhat of a phenomenon, for recorded cases have only occurred since the 1980s.
Psychology of the Abductor
A fetal abduction is much rarer than an infant abduction, but the abductor usually has the same frame of mind and thoughts before the abduction. The abductor is usually a woman, and she will usually have fantasies of becoming pregnant or being a mother. In some cases, the abductor will fake a pregnancy and abduct the fetus when it would appear the abductor is ready to have a child.
The Most Recent Case of Fetal Abduction
Warning: the details of the following crimes are graphic and may offend some readers. On September 20, 2012, Annette Morales-Rodriguez was convicted of first-degree homicide after she killed a woman and her unborn child. The woman was Maritza Ramirez-Cruz, and she died as a result of asphyxiation, head trauma, and blood loss along with the involuntary caesarean performed Morales.
A witness stated that Morales lured the victim to her house and attacked her with a baseball bat. Ramirez was then bound with duct tape, and the tape covered her nose and mouth as well. Morales proceeded to place a plastic bag over Ramirez and then cut the unborn fetus from the womb. Morales will spend the rest of her life in prison.
Other Cases of Fetal Abduction
Recorded fetal abductions have occurred in the United States since 1987. Some of the cases are described below:
1987, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The first recorded fetal abduction occurred in Albuquerque when Darci Pierce murdered Cindy Ray and stole her unborn child. Cindy Ray was attacked after she left the Kirkland Air Force Base in New Mexico, and Peirce strangled her. She then used a car key to remove the unborn child, who survived and is still living.
1996, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Felicia Scott and Carenthia Curry were friends before the crime occurred. Scott cut open Curry to steal her child, shot Curry in the head, and placed her body in a plastic bag. The family eventually reported Curry as missing, and authorities found Curry’s body three months later. The baby survived the abduction.
2006, St. Louis, Illinois
Tiffany Hall killed Jimella Tunstall and cut the unborn fetus out of her womb. She then proceeded to drown three of the pregnant woman’s children and left the drowned children in a washing machine and dryer. It was another case where the defendant knew the victim. Sadly, the baby did not survive the attack.
2008, Kennewick, Washington
In this case, Phiengchai Sisouvanh Synhavong killed Araceli Camacho Gomez by stabbing her in the chest numerous times. Gomez’s feet and hands were found with yarn, and Synhavong cut the fetus out of the womb. Bloody gloves, a box cutter, and other bloody items were found in Synhavong’s purse, and the child miraculously survived.
