(CNN) — An Ohio woman who suffered a miscarriage and left the nonviable fetus at home will not be criminally charged, a grand jury decided Thursday.
Brittany Watts, 34, of Warren, was last year charged with felony abuse of a corpse, Trumbull County court records show. In the days before her September miscarriage, Watts went to a hospital twice with severe bleeding and was told her fetus was not viable, a coroner’s office report states. The hospital staff notified the Warren Police Department, which responded to Watts’ home, the coroner’s office report says.
The Grand Jury of the Trumbull County Common Pleas Court on Thursday returned a “no bill” for the charge, concluding insufficient evidence for an indictment against Watts, according to the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s office.
CNN has reached out to Watt’s attorney and the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office for comment.
“Ms. Watts suffered a tragic and dangerous miscarriage that jeopardized her own life,” her attorney, Traci Timko, told CNN last month. “Rather than focusing on healing physically and emotionally, she was arrested and charged with a felony.”
Though a coroner’s office report said the fetus was not viable and had died in the womb, Watts’ case highlights the extent to which prosecutors can charge a woman whose pregnancy has ended – whether by abortion or miscarriage.
After the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade and the federal right to an abortion, a host of state trigger laws went into effect across the country that placed new restrictions or bans on abortion.
In turn, some women carrying fetuses with fatal abnormalities have been barred from having an abortion in their home states. Other women with potentially life-threatening pregnancies have also been unable to get an abortion, as medical exemption clauses can be vague and medical providers fear severe legal consequences.
When asked whether the charge against Watts may have been influenced by the repeal of Roe v. Wade, her attorney said ignorance is the main factor.
“I believe that this charge stems from the lack of knowledge and/or insight that men have regarding the realities of miscarriage and women’s health in general,” Timko told CNN previously.
“I don’t believe the fetal personhood issue was something they considered or found relevant. I believe this case demonstrates the need for education and showcases the sweep that the fetal personhood debate has even outside the context of abortion.”
A prosecutor previously had said Watts’ actions after passing the fetus were at the center of the case.
“The issue isn’t how the child died, when the child died. It’s the fact that the baby was put into a toilet, large enough to clog up the toilet, left in that toilet, and she went on her day,” prosecutor Lewis Guarnieri said at a preliminary hearing in November, according to footage from WKBN.
(Copyright (c) 2026 CNN. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)