Fetuses Removed From Home Were Aborted In Accordance With DC Law: Updated

Updated (April 1, 12:30 p.m.): This story was updated with reporting from The Washington Post.

WASHINGTON, DC — The fetuses removed from a home in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday had been aborted “in accordance with D.C. law,” Ashan Benedict, executive assistant D.C. police chief, said in a Thursday press conference, according to The Washington Post.

D.C. homicide and forensic investigators removed five fetuses around 12:30 p.m., on Wednesday from the Capitol Hill home of Lauren Handy, an anti-abortion activist who was charged with eight other people in connection with an attempt to restrict access to a D.C. reproductive health clinic in 2020, according to news reports.

Benedict went on to say that there didn't appear to be anything criminal in nature about the fetuses, "except for how they got into this house," the Post reported.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything criminal in nature about that except for how they got into this house,” Benedict said,

Police were tipped off about the fetuses in Handy's home in the 400 block of 6th Street, Southeast, according to WUSA9. The fetuses were removed from the home in biohazard bags and coolers, which were picked up by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Handy told WUSA9 that she expected the police to raid her home and find the fetuses sooner or later. She did not answer a question about the contents of the coolers, only saying "people would freak out when they heard."

Read WUSA9's full story: Five fetuses found at home of anti-abortion activist, DC Police say

A federal jury indicted Handy and the eight other people in connection with the Oct. 22, 2020, incident at a reproductive health clinic in the District, authorities said Wednesday.

Handy had used a fake name to book an appointment at the clinic, according to authorities. When the clinic opened its doors at 9 a.m. on Oct. 22, 2020, Handy and seven other people pushed their way inside and prevented patients from accessing the clinic, according to court documents.

While this was going on, Jonathan Darnel, 40, of Arlington, Virginia, livestreamed the event on Facebook, according to the indictment.

They each of the nine defendants was charged with conspiracy against rights and a FACE Act Offense in connection with the incident, according to court documents.

If convicted, the defendants face sentences of up to 11 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $350,000, according to court documents.

Related: 9 Indicted For Blocking Access To DC Reproductive Health Clinic