AMERICAN FORK, Utah, Sept. 15, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — An American Fork woman was arrested Friday for allegedly exposing her breasts on a video call to children ages 9 and 11.
After being questioned about that alleged incident, police say she told a social worker she was suicidal, and was drinking and behaving recklessly in hopes of causing her unborn child to miscarry.
The 41-year-old woman was arrested by American Fork police for investigation of:
- Attempted murder, a second-degree felony
- Dealing in materials harmful to a minor, a third-degree felony
As always, charges will be determined by the County Attorney’s Office.
The case began Friday night when a call came to dispatch about a possible sex offense. According to charging documents, the woman made a video-call to a private residence and asked to speak to the children, to whom she was not related. She had briefly dated the children’s father, the affidavit says.
“While speaking to the children, the suspect had her breasts visibly exposed,” her affidavit says.
“The mother of the children advised the woman her breasts were exposed, and she allegedly responded by saying it wasn’t a big deal because she had previously gone skinny dipping with the children. The mother took the phone from the children and screenshotted the woman.
Police responded to Tthe suspect’s residence, the statement said, and post-Miranda, she declined to speak with police. Officers said they could smell alcohol on her breath, and a consensually administered breath alcohol test confirmed a result of 0.301.
The suspect ‘was visibly pregnant,” her affidavit says. She “was taken to the hospital for a medical clearance, where it was found she was 20 weeks pregnant. During the medical clearance, the woman “stated she was suicidal, so she was seen by a social worker.”
The social worker informed police the woman was trying to do things that would kill the unborn baby because it was outside the window she could get a legal abortion. She allegedly confessed to starving herself for the last two months and drinking a 20-pack of alcoholic beverages each day for the last two months so that she could kill the baby she was pregnant with.
“Janessa told the social worker she was driving around carelessly near trains so that she would get in an accident that would cause a miscarriage.” She also alleged to have informed the social worker that she had been camping for the last couple of days and alluded to doing reckless things. [She] said she was doing those reckless things so she would have a miscarriage and be able to bury the baby’s body out in the woods without any documentation or anyone knowing what happened to the baby.”
The affidavit noted that “In the Utah Code Annotated, section 76-5-201(1)(a)(ii) states that criminal homicide means ‘an act causing the death of another human being, including an unborn child at any stage of the unborn child’s development.'”
Under current legal conditions in Utah, abortion is legal before a fetal age of 18 weeks.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, including prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones. To speak with a trained listener, call 988.
The Crisis TEXT Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. To contact a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. It is also free, available 24/7, and confidential.
Talking with someone about your thoughts and feelings can save your life.
