Washington, D.C., police found five fetuses in the home of an anti-abortion activist on Wednesday.
The activist, Lauren Handy, sat outside her home as officers brought out coolers containing the fetuses, WUSA9 first reported. Handy declined to tell a reporter outside her home what was inside the coolers, but said, “People will freak out when they hear.”
The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to HuffPost on Thursday that it had found the five fetuses after being sent to investigate a tip.
“Upon further investigation, MPD located five fetuses inside a residence at the location,” a police statement said. “The fetuses were collected by the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. This is currently a pending investigation.”
Handy was indicted along with eight others on Wednesday for her alleged role in blocking a D.C. reproductive health care clinic in 2020.
The nine defendants were charged with federal civil rights conspiracy and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act for their alleged roles in blockading two clinic doors using their “bodies, furniture, chains and ropes,” according to the indictment.
More from the Department of Justice:
Once the blockade was established, [defendant Jonathan] Darnel live-streamed footage of his co-defendants’ activities. The indictment also alleges that the nine defendants violated the FACE Act ... to injure, intimidate and interfere with the clinic’s employees and a patient, because they were providing or obtaining reproductive health services.
All defendants face up to 11 years in prison and a fine of up to $350,000.