A 20-year-old woman may face criminal charges after experiencing a miscarriage in a New York City restaurant bathroom and leaving the fetus behind, which subsequently clogged the toilet, officials reported this week.
The male fetus, estimated to be between 22 and 23 weeks gestation and weighing just over a pound, was found just before 10 a.m. on September 30 inside the restroom of Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine on Fulton Street.
According to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, the medical examiner’s office indicated that the fetus may have taken one or two breaths, but not enough to survive.
Investigators believe the woman, who had been a customer at the restaurant the day before, went to the bathroom and likely miscarried.
“She left the bathroom, and employees were informed that it was dirty,” the chief explained. “When they returned the next day, they discovered it was clogged.”
Upon further inspection, staff found the fetus in the toilet, still attached to its placenta and umbilical cord. Kenny noted that there was “nothing abnormal about the child.”
The NYPD is now coordinating with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to determine the next steps.
“Most likely, this will lead to [the mother’s] arrest for concealment of a human corpse, which is an E felony,” Kenny added.
