Last Friday, fetal remains were found in a wastewater treatment plant in Sumter County, South Carolina. The fetus was male, 13–15 weeks old, with no signs of trauma. At that stage, a miscarriage is considered a medical event rather than a legal death, meaning that neither a death certificate nor any formal reporting is required.
Even so, the county coroner described the fetus as “stillborn”—a term under South Carolina law reserved for fetal death after 20 weeks—and is working with South Carolina law enforcement to develop a DNA profile to determine the fetus’ race and identify the mother (but apparently not the father).
Why do the coroner and sheriff need to identify someone who had a miscarriage? Are they planning to use genetic genealogy? And why do they need to know the fetus’ race?
What Else Can Explain It?
As a scientist, I consider and rule out alternative explanations before I draw conclusions. Here are the most logical answers to my questions.
Why do the coroner and sheriff need to identify someone who had a miscarriage?
- Death certificate — Could the coroner need to identify the mother to issue a death certificate? No, because under South Carolina law, a fetal death certificate is only required for stillbirths, which are defined as 20 weeks gestation or more. This fetus was 15 weeks at most, so a death certificate is unnecessary.
- Health — While it’s heartwarming to think that the coroner is concerned for the woman’s health, the truth is that FGG is a slow process. I reached out to a few FGG labs and practitioners, and the consensus is that the DNA analysis alone averages 2 months or more.1 The genealogy phase also takes time. If and when she is identified, she will no longer need medical treatment for her miscarriage.
- Charges — The coroner is working with the county sheriff, suggesting that they hope to bring criminal charges against someone.
- Disposal — Roughly 10%–20% of known pregnancies end in natural miscarriage; the real rate is higher because many women miscarry without knowing they were pregnant.2 Flushing is a common—even recommended—way to manage the remains of a failed pregnancy. However, according to the Legal Information Institute, in South Carolina, “Products of conception must be incinerated, cremated, interred, or donated for medical research.” This woman could be prosecuted for flushing a miscarriage, even if she wasn’t aware of it or flushed because she didn’t know what else to do.
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Abortion — In South Carolina, abortion is illegal after 6 weeks gestation, so the authorities may hope to pursue legal charges for an intentional abortion. Under current law, a woman is immune for receiving an abortion, but she can be compelled to testify against medical providers and may herself be charged with child neglect or endangerment. Although there is no indication that this was anything other than a natural miscarriage, abortion is a hot-button issue in South Carolina, where lawmakers are currently trying to criminalize them for the women obtaining them.
Are they planning to use genetic genealogy?
- CODIS — The CODIS database has been the standard DNA resource for identifying people in the USA for more than 30 years. However, it can only identify people who are already in the system, which a fetus obviously would not be. Some states allow familial searches, which could conceivably match to the mother if she has a criminal record, but South Carolina is not one of those states. A CODIS search will not identify her.
- Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG) — The only way to identify the mother using DNA is through FGG, in which genealogical DNA matches and research are combined to reverse engineer a family tree. Only a few databases allow FGG investigations, and they all now require informed consent from their layperson users. Did those users consent to pursuing women who have miscarriages?
And why do they need to know the fetus’ race?
- Race — The coroner and sheriff might need to know the race of the fetus because … well, honestly, I can’t think of a single reason that any of the above-mentioned considerations would change based on race. Other than racism, of course.
What else is there?
- Grandstanding — The last possibility is that the coroner has no real intention (or budget) to pursue FGG to identify this woman and is simply enjoying his 15 minutes of fame.
The Most Likely Explanation
Working through these possibilities, the most likely explanation is this: The coroner and sheriff hope to use FGG to identify a woman who suffered a miscarriage and charge her for improper disposal of the remains and/or child endangerment.
To do this, they will need to access DNA databases of laypeople who did not give informed consent to pursue women for medical events. There’s a possible racial component to this case, as well. Given my experience with racial dynamics in the Deep South, of the mother is Black, she’ll face much more severe consequences than if she’s White.
Is this really in the best interests of FGG? Of genealogy as a whole?
What are we doing here, people?
1 Curiously, a representative from Othram said “For specific details on services and turnarounds, we can only disclose them to Law Enforcement individuals.” Other companies were quite forthcoming.
2 I can personally attest to periods so heavy that could easily have been mistaken for a miscarriage.
Cover image: https://www.wistv.com/2026/02/13/sumter-county-deputies-investigate-after-fetus-found-water-treatment-plant/
I can’t say I’m surprised at this news coming out of the USA. Thank you for raising awareness of it.
I’m honestly bone tired of writing about how off-the-rails FGG is, but it continues to be necessary.
And even scarier thoughts: AI: Abortion is legal in South Carolina but heavily restricted, with a ban in place after a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically around six weeks of pregnancy. Enforced since May 2023, this law includes limited exceptions for rape, incest, fatal fetal anomalies, and to protect the life of the pregnant person.
AI: In South Carolina, abortion with mifepristone is legal but restricted. It is available via prescription at certified healthcare facilities (like Planned Parenthood and Whole Woman’s Health) up to approximately six weeks of pregnancy, or later in certain specific circumstances such as medical emergencies, rape, or incest.
Mifepristone and its metabolites can be detected in maternal blood and tissue samples using sensitive laboratory methods like liquid chromatography, especially within a few days of ingestion. Studies indicate that mifepristone crosses the placenta, and its presence, along with its metabolites, can be detected in fetal and placental tissues.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) | (.gov)
Thanks for sharing this. Even if this was a medicine abortion, by the time they find the mother, there won’t be any metabolites in her system. I did some research into mifepristone/misoprostol metabolites in fetal remains and there’s honestly not a lot of scientific information out there. I only found two studies, and both had very limited sample sizes (like, 1 or 2 cases).
I was wondering /thinking if the “authorities” would try to test fetus for metabolites??
That’s a great question and one I looked into before posting. I didn’t find much. The levels of both mifepristone and misoprostol metabolite in aborted fetuses are low, they require specialized equipment to detect, and the studies I found only examined one or two cases each. I couldn’t find any information on how either time or the chemicals used to treat wastewater might affect those levels.
It’s an interesting theoretical discussion, but we should be clear that there is no evidence publicly available that this was anything other than a natural miscarriage.
I agree 100% with Leah. ALSO IMPORTANT FOR REFERENCE:
Why am I not surprised this is taking place in South Carolina?
Look up a study published by 23andME showing South Carolina and Louisiana had the HIGHEST proportion of White Caucasians (self-reported) who actually had >1% African DNA.
A 2014-2015 23andMe study published in The American Journal of Human Genetics found that approximately 12% to 13% of self-identified European Americans in South Carolina (and Louisiana) have 1% or more African ancestry. This indicates a high prevalence of hidden African ancestry in the state, largely stemming from historical, often forced, interracial unions in the 1800s.
Volume 96, Issue 1p37-53January 08, 2015, K Bryc, et. al.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Keep it up.
Thank you for posting this. I hate discrimination of any kind. I am an adoptee who realizes that I might not be here if abortion had been legal in the dinosaur ages. I have always believed in a woman’s right to choose. Politics have entered arenas where politicians do not belong.
Thanks for sharing. Excellent article.
Thank you for bringing awareness to this very scary situation. One has to wonder if it would be pursued if the coroner and/or the sheriff were female. I’m glad I live in California.
…I, too, have experienced VERY heavy periods. Racial grandstanding at its ultimate worst!
The race to the bottom continues.
The rights of victims, such as the deceased, trump the rights of people that have transgressed the law. There must however be no discrimination as in different areas or officials applying different rules.
There’s no victim here.
If this is not an offence in this jurisdiction, then the offence is one by officials of wasting police time and public funds, and those responsible should be prosecuted according to the relevant local statutes.
More broadly I would like to see all FIGG commercial laboratories swear off anything of this nature on ethical grounds.
The person involved in this is a victim and requires medical assistance, not hounding.
Thank you for bringing this case to public attention. This example, specifically, is the reason that I have chosen not to allow my DNA or family tree to be used for law enforcement purposes. Many people don’t understand that law enforcement use of DNA isn’t always to “give some poor family closure”. As you state, miscarriage and abortion are indistinguishable. As laws across the US vary about the legality and timing of abortion, law enforcement DNA access puts all of our female relatives at risk.
And now I am rethinking permission to LE at the sites I have put my family’s DNA results. For sure take the permission away.
I wish FIGG had considered these issues beforehand and got buy-in from the community rather than embarking on a Wild West adventure in what they can get away with.
I encourage you to contact any sites where you’ve opted in and let them know about your concerns.
Interesting hypothesis, but why would they need the fetal remains if they already know who the victim of the supposed crime is?
How do the genetic, commercial DNA companies handle this if asked by law enforcement to access databases?
The Terms of Service at GEDmatch Pro (the forensic version of GEDmatch) prohibit fetal remains, but FamilyTreeDNA does not. That said, FIGG has a long history of violating TOS.
I agree, this is disturbing!