The recent story involving an Apache woman in a vegetative state who unexpectedly gave birth is disturbing on so many levels. Thankfully, law enforcement and health care workers are committing to solving this violating mystery. But that task could lead down a long and winding road.

Details Regarding the Victim

A woman at the Hacienda HealthCare facility in Phoenix, Arizona gave birth to a boy on December 29th. She had been in a vegetative state for over a decade, and in the facility since 1992, due to a drowning accident. No one knew that she had been impregnated until she started moaning, and nurses tried to find the cause of her discomfort. The baby boy was in medical distress, and remains in the hospital. The woman is a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, and is being considered a victim of sexual abuse. The woman’s family is outraged, traumatized, and demands justice.

Hacienda HealthCare Facility Has No Answers

Hacienda is outraged as well, and is working hard to collect genetic data from its male workers, including getting a court order to get DNA samples from those who refuse to give it voluntarily. But the rapist could be just about anyone, including a visitor to the facility or a former employee, and could be long gone by now.

Similarities to a Rape Twenty Years Ago

Some may remember decades ago, an eerily similar set of events played out in Rochester, New York. In January 1996, a young woman who happened to be 29 years old, the same age at the Hacienda victim, and who had also been in a vegetative state for a decade, was found to be five months pregnant with a baby boy. There, the family, though outraged, asked that the baby be carried to term.

Related Resources:

  • USC Settles Claims Against School’s Gynecologist for $215 Million (FindLaw Injured)
  • Ex-Stanford Swimmer Gets Light Sex Assault Sentence (FindLaw Blotter)
  • 5 Legal Tips for Sexual Assault Victims (FindLaw Blotter)

You Don’t Have To Solve This on Your Own – Get a Lawyer’s Help

Civil Rights

Block on Trump’s Asylum Ban Upheld by Supreme Court

Criminal

Judges Can Release Secret Grand Jury Records

Politicians Can’t Block Voters on Facebook, Court Rules