Police say they have found five fetuses in a home in Washington DC on Wednesday, days after the indictment of several anti-abortion activists – including a woman believed to live in the home where the fetuses were discovered—on charges of blocking access to a reproductive health clinic in 2020.
Officers were called to the home in the Capitol Hill area “to investigate tips regarding potential bio-hazard material,” the Metro Police Department said in a statement. When they entered the home, they discovered five fetuses, police said.
DC police have not announced any arrests in connection with the fetuses but said the investigation is ongoing.
CNN affiliate WUSA was on the scene and reported that the home was occupied by Lauren Handy, an anti-abortion activist. CNN has not independently verified that Handy was staying in the home.
The WUSA crew saw police removing evidence in red biohazard bags and coolers. WUSA reported that Handy declined to speak to them on camera, but told them she expected the raid to happen “sooner or later”. She wouldn’t tell WUSA what was in the coolers that were removed from the home, but said, “people would freak out when they heard.”
Police said the fetuses were collected by the DC medical examiner’s office.
DC police Executive Assistant Chief Ashan Benedict told reporters on Thursday that the fetuses were aborted in accordance with DC Law.