Within the home of a self proclaimed “anti-abortion activist,” police found five fetuses. Earlier in the week, the suspect was indicted on federal charges stemming from her actions to block access to a reproductive health center.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, officers received a tip about potential bio-hazard material” at a home in Southeast Washington on Wednesday. Shockingly, the attending officers located five fetuses inside the home.
The owner of the home, Lauren Handy, 28, was one of nine people charged in an indictment that was made public on Wednesday that accused the group of traveling to Washington in order to block access to reproductive health centers.
The station, which first reported the discovery, said Handy told a reporter that “people will freak out when they hear” what detectives found inside her house. Handy did not respond to a message sent to her Facebook profile seeking comment.
Police said the five fetuses were collected by Washington’s medical examiner and the investigation is ongoing.
In the indictment, prosecutors said Handy had called the clinic pretending to be a prospective patient and scheduling an appointment. Once there, on Oct. 22, 2020, eight of the suspects pushed their way inside and began blocking the doors, according to the indictment. Five of them chained themselves together on chairs to block the treatment area as others blocked the employee entrance to stop other patients from coming inside, the indictment alleges. Another suspect blocked people from coming into the waiting room, prosecutors charge.
Handy and the eight others were charged with conspiracy against rights and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. The federal law, more commonly known as the FACE Act, prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services.