Woman arrested for aborting her third-trimester fetus

A 43-year-old woman in Virginia has been charged for allegedly aborting her third-trimester fetus and burying the remains in her back yard. Michelle Frances Roberts was indicted by a jury in Chesterfield County on a felony charge of producing an abortion or miscarriage with the intent to destroy her unborn child.
Police said they received a tip in February 2016 that human remains were buried in the back yard of a home in the 6200 block of Philbrook Road. Investigators later contacted Roberts, who confirmed their report.

Forensic investigators later excavated a small area of the yard where they found the fetal remains, police said, adding that they had been disposed of roughly six months earlier. Police determined that Roberts had the abortion during her third trimester, but it was unclear how the procedure was performed.

Roberts, who was arrested last Wednesday, remains held in a jail in Chesterfield County. A status hearing on her case has been scheduled for April 24.

Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch