NCJ Number
213786
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 54 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2006 Pages: 40-42,44,46
Date Published
March 2006
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes the characteristics of seven homicides and two attempted homicides committed to obtain the unborn infants of the pregnant victims, examines offender motives, and suggests investigative strategies.
Abstract
In most of the cases, the primary offender was a woman 19 to 40 years old who acted alone in the crime. All of the offenders had faked their own pregnancies in order to convince family and friends they were about to give birth. The offenders had preselected and stalked their victims. Offenders manipulated their victims to spots where they could be attacked unobserved. Six of the seven victims were killed before the fetus was cut from the womb with procedures similar to a crude cesarean section. In most of the cases, the offender's primary motivation was to enhance a relationship with a male partner by providing him with a child. Another motivation documented in research was the fulfillment of a childbearing and delivery fantasy. The initial police response to the report of a missing pregnant woman should include the immediate notification to detectives and a public broadcast of the victim's description. Speed of apprehension following the kidnapping is important, because the offender will most likely commit the homicide and attempt a fetus delivery within 2 hours of the abduction. An "Amber" alert is therefore recommended. The neighborhood where the abduction was most likely to have occurred should be canvassed to determine whether the victim was seen in the company of another pregnant woman. This may produce offender descriptions, license plate numbers, and other identifying information.