TRUMBULL COUNTY, OH, January 11, 2024 — A Trumbull County grand jury has decided not to indict Brittany Watts, 34, on a charge of abuse of a corpse. This decision follows a controversial incident in September, where Watts allegedly flushed a fetus down a toilet after experiencing a miscarriage.
Court documents revealed that Watts had been carrying the fetus for about 21 weeks. The fetus, showing no signs of life, passed through the birth canal and into the toilet, which Watts then flushed before leaving her house. This act drew significant attention, particularly from abortion rights activists.
According to The Associated Press, friends of Watts urged her to seek hospital care following the incident. Additionally, a nurse reported to the police about a previously pregnant woman who had left the fetus “in her backyard bucket.”
Watts had reportedly been informed by her doctors that the fetus was nonviable and had been advised to induce labor. Despite multiple hospital visits, she was unable to receive treatment, leading to the miscarriage. A subsequent autopsy conducted on the fetus revealed no signs of injury, as reported by CBS affiliate WKBN.