NCJ Number
140929
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 38 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1993) Pages: 192-196
Date Published
1993
Length
5 pages
Annotation
A highly unusual case of child stealing by cesarean section is presented that resulted in the mother's death.
Abstract
The defendant was a 19-year-old who desperately wanted to be pregnant. She went to a clinic, kidnapped a pregnant woman who appeared close to term, and performed a cesarean section with a pair of ordinary car keys. She took the baby and later told an acquaintance that she delivered the child by the side of the road. After the acquaintance took her to the local emergency room, a physician determined she had not given birth recently. At trial, she pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. She was found guilty but mentally ill. The extreme nature of the murder in the case report is discussed, and the literature on the psychiatric status of individuals who steal children is reviewed. 15 references