WA police accuse 3 of swapping prenatal vitamins for abortion pills
BELLINGHAM, Wash - Three people have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to secretly drug a pregnant woman and spike her prenatal vitamins with abortion-inducing medication, according to the Bellingham Police Department.
What we know:
Detectives began investigating on Oct. 20 after receiving allegations that a 32-year-old Arizona man attempted to end a woman's pregnancy without her knowledge or consent.
According to police, the man initially reacted negatively to the pregnancy and offered the woman money to terminate it. After she declined, he began buying her prenatal vitamins and appeared supportive. However, investigators allege that he paid an accomplice to obtain abortion medication and began secretly administering it to the victim.
Police said the suspect intentionally drugged the woman with sleep aids so he could administer the abortion medication while she was asleep, and also mixed the drugs into her prenatal vitamins.
The victim suffered significant medical complications early in the pregnancy that required immediate and prolonged medical care.
Dig deeper:
A search warrant executed at the man's residence yielded evidence consistent with tampered prenatal vitamins, sleep aids—including narcotics—and pregnancy-terminating medication, detectives said.
Police established probable cause to arrest him on charges of first-degree attempted manslaughter (domestic violence), second-degree assault (domestic violence), felony violation of a domestic violence protection order, and placing poison or harmful substances in medicine.
Authorities added that he had been served two pre-trial domestic violence protection orders in July 2025 prohibiting him from contacting or coming within 1,000 feet of the victim.
U.S. Marshals arrested him in Mesa, Arizona, on the morning of Nov. 8. He is being held in the Mesa Jail pending extradition to Whatcom County, which is expected to begin this week.
Local perspective:
Two alleged accomplices were also taken into custody in Bellingham on charges of complicity to first-degree attempted manslaughter, complicity to second-degree assault, and complicity to placing poison in medicine:
One suspect is alleged to have obtained the abortion medication in her own name and provided it to the man from Arizona, knowing his intent to harm the victim and the fetus. Patrol officers arrested her without incident on Nov. 8 at an encampment in the 4500 block of Meridian Street.
Additionally, police allege another man knew that the man from Arizona was drugging the victim and tampering with her vitamins, but failed to notify authorities and instead later tried to extort money in exchange for information and evidence. He was arrested without incident on Nov. 5 at an encampment near Sunset Pond and booked into the Whatcom County Jail.
What we don't know:
Police have not released the suspects' first names or ages in the report, nor have they disclosed the current medical status of the victim or the pregnancy.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Bellingham Police Department.
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