Brittany Watts, a 34-year-old woman from Ohio, is now speaking out after a grand jury opted not to charge her with the abuse of a corpse. This decision stemmed from an incident reported by Daily Mail on January 26, 2024, wherein Watts, faced with the devastating news of a non-viable pregnancy at 21 weeks, experienced a miscarriage at home in Warren.
Initially facing the potential of a felony charge, Watts had tried to flush the fetus down her home toilet. Two weeks ago, the Trumbull County prosecutor’s office revealed that a grand jury chose not to indict her.
In an interview on CBS Mornings with anchor Jericka Duncan, Watts expressed her belief that the swift charges against her were influenced by her “skin color” and the absence of clear legal guidelines for such situations.
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The impact of this traumatic experience has left Watts forever changed. Despite her fears, she left the hospital without being treated, and two days later, she experienced a miscarriage at home. Recalling the distressing moment, Watts told Jericka Duncan, “I was doubled over on the toilet and then heard a splash—saw blood,” expressing her shock and terror.
Returning to the hospital for the third time, Watts encountered the same nurse who had comforted her before, but this time, the nurse called the police. Watts explained her distress at what the nurse allegedly told the police: ‘”The nurse told the police, “You didn’t want to look and that you did not want the baby,”‘ Watts said. When asked if she remembered saying that, Watts replied, ‘I said I did not want to look. I never said I did not want my baby. I would have never said something like that.’
Watts was subsequently arrested and charged with abuse of a corpse, a felony with a potential sentence of up to a year in prison and a $2,500 fine. Watts’s lawyer, speaking on CBS This Morning, criticized the portrayal of his client as a “young, unmarried, black woman that did not comply with their orders to keep waiting,” suggesting that the situation was weaponized against her.
Brittany Watts, alongside her attorney Traci Trinko, spoke at a January 11 rally in her support after the prosecutor’s announced the dropping of the criminal charges she was facing. Watts shared with Jericka Duncan that before the incident, she was a person unknown to many, keeping to herself. However, after the ordeal, she now describes herself as “motivated,” expressing her determination to prevent other women from going through similar experiences. Watts added, “As the old saying goes, history repeats itself. I don’t want it to happen in this case.”
On January 11, a gathering of hundreds outside the courthouse expressed their support for Brittany Watts after the announcement that she would not face charges. Addressing the crowd, Watts said, “I am truly honored and grateful that you have all come to support me, and we are not done fighting.” Her attorney, Traci Trinko, stood nearby as the crowd cheered.
In her television interview, Watts recounted how she became aware that something was wrong on September 19 when she noticed fluid leakage, later identified as amniotic fluid. Watts sought assistance from her OBGYN and received the heartbreaking news that, despite a faint heartbeat, the pregnancy was not viable.
Transported by ambulance to Mercy Health St. Joseph Warren Hospital, Watts waited for up to eight hours for proper medical care. The hospital, in part, stated ‘that they do not believe that Watts violated the Ohio criminal statute of abuse of a corpse.’
