Worker finds fetus in Rockland pumping station's catch basin

Steve Lieberman, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
·2 min read
The Rockland County Sewer District reported that a worker recovered what appeared to be a human fetus from a catch drain at the Pascack Pumping Station located at 160 Convebt Rd. in Nanuet. Tuesday, January 10, 2023.

NANUET − Authorities recovered an 18-week-old fetus Monday from a catch basin at the Rockland Sewer District pumping station on Convent Road.

The Rockland County Medical Examiner's Office approximated the fetus's age but could not determine a gender or other characteristics. The fetus is not considered developed enough to have been able to survive outside the mother's womb.

A sewer worker found the fetus at 2:25 p.m. Monday. The Rockland County Sheriff’s Office release said workers check the pumping station regularly and the fetus most likely entered the sewer system earlier on Monday.

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Sheriff Louis Falco said investigators believe someone flushed the fetus into the sewer system, possibly down a toilet. The location is not known.

Falco said that investigators want to talk with the mother, and there's no indication of anything criminal at this stage.

"We don't know the circumstance," Falco said. "Absolutely, it is a tragedy. If this was a miscarriage it is something natural and we will deal with it as such. We are looking to put closure on this for the mother and everyone else."

Officers from the County Sheriff’s Office and the Clarkstown Police Department responded. Detectives from the Rockland County Bureau of Criminal Investigation also responded. Rockland County Sewer District No.1 primarily services Ramapo and Clarkstown.

Fetuses and dead babies have been discovered before in Rockland.

  • In 2013, a newborn baby was killed and dumped in a deli recycling bin at a Maple Avenue strip mall in Spring Valley. The body was found in an Elmsford recycling center. Baby Angel's mother was sentenced to 12 years in prison for manslaughter.

  • In 2004, Baby Gabriel Luke, wrapped in a Mickey Mouse towel, was found dead on March 27, 2004, at St. Francis of Assisi Church in West Nyack.

  • Florine Whitaker, 47, killed her newborn and wrapped her in a coat before dumping her in the trash bin. She was sent to a psychiatric facility after being found not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect.

While the fetus found in Nanuet on Monday doesn't apply, New York State Abandoned Infant Protection Act allows parents to anonymously leave newborns five days and younger with responsible parties at safe havens, such as hospitals, churches, police stations or firehouses. In return, they would not face criminal prosecution.

Anyone with information on the fetus found in Nanuet can call the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 845-638-5500. All calls will be kept confidential.

Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com. Twitter: @lohudlegal.

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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Fetus found in Rockland pumping station's catch basin