Woman Gets $100,000 from Nevada After They Put Her Behind Bars for a Miscarriage

"Patience Rousseau miscarried in April 2018, when she was 26 (and then went by the last name Frazier), then wrapped the remains and buried them in her backyard, marking the spot with a cross. Her babysitter, who's been described as "devoutly Christian," reported her to the police, and Sheriff Deputy Jacqueline Mitcham-who got the tip-engaged in a dogged hunt to incriminate her. (Rousseau and Mitcham shared the same babysitter.)"

"Her story was initially reported by the Indy in 2022, but received national attention after the Washington Post obtained bodycam footage from her arrest, and spoke to multiple people involved in the investigation. One of the detectives admitted to the Post that he believed Rousseau killed her baby and recalled thinking, "We have to find a charge that works...She has to be charged with something.""

"The Post also reported that, while the woman was incarcerated, Mitcham convinced a funeral director to give her the fetal remains, telling the outlet, "I'm taking him...that's my baby," and adding that she's the only person who ever loved him. As of October, Mitcham was still keeping the remains in a box in front of her house. After her public defender convinced Rousseau to plead guilty to the manslaughter charges, she went to prison in 2019."

Patience Rousseau miscarried in April 2018 at age 26, wrapped the fetal remains, and buried them in her backyard, marking the spot with a cross. A babysitter reported the incident to police, prompting Sheriff Deputy Jacqueline Mitcham to pursue the case. Rousseau was charged under a 1911 law that criminalizes using drugs to terminate a pregnancy after 24 weeks, and her lawyer says she is the only person charged and convicted under that law. Bodycam footage showed a detective saying investigators needed to "find a charge that works." Mitcham obtained the fetal remains while Rousseau was incarcerated. Rousseau pleaded guilty after counsel advised her, was imprisoned in 2019, had her conviction vacated in 2021, and had the case dismissed in 2025. The state was later ordered to pay $100,000.

Read at Jezebel