A Pennsylvania teenager claimed her chemically aborted 20-week-old baby was “still moving” before she stored its body under her bed for 37 hours and later buried it in the backyard with her mother’s help.
Key Takeaways
- A mother purchased illegal abortion pills for her teenage daughter who was 20 weeks pregnant, despite Pennsylvania law prohibiting chemical abortions past 10 weeks.
- The teenager reported the baby was “still moving” after birth, kept it under her bed for 37 hours, then buried it in their backyard.
- Both face criminal charges including concealing a child’s death and abuse of a corpse, but not for the illegal abortion itself due to Pennsylvania law protecting women from abortion liability.
- Authorities discovered skeletal remains after receiving a tip with photographic evidence in March 2025.
- The case raises serious concerns about unregulated abortion pill access and dangers of late-term chemical abortions performed without medical supervision.
Horrific Details of Backyard Burial Emerge
Shannon N. Jones and her daughter have been charged in a disturbing case involving an illegal at-home abortion and improper disposal of a late-term fetus. According to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, Jones purchased abortion medication online for her then-juvenile daughter without medical supervision or oversight. After the teenager took the pills and delivered what she described as a “full baby” at approximately 20 weeks gestation, she reported to investigators that the baby was “still moving” after birth. The young woman then kept the infant’s remains in a box under her bed for at least 37 hours before she and her mother buried the body in their backyard.
Law enforcement became aware of the situation in March 2025 when a witness provided photos and messages related to the incident. Investigators later uncovered skeletal remains in the Jones’ backyard. The Lancaster County Coroner’s office determined the cause of death as “premature fetal death” but listed the manner as “undetermined,” making it impossible for prosecutors to pursue homicide charges. Though abortion is legal in Pennsylvania up to 24 weeks, chemical abortions are not approved beyond 10 weeks due to serious health risks, making this particular abortion illegal.
Criminal Charges and Legal Complexities
The mother, Shannon Jones, now faces multiple serious charges including endangering the welfare of a child, corruption of minors, and conspiracy to conceal a child’s death. The daughter, whose name remains withheld because she was a minor at the time of the offense but is now 18, has been charged with concealing the death of a child and abuse of a corpse. Notably, neither woman faces charges specifically for performing an illegal abortion, as Pennsylvania law contains exemptions that protect women from liability in such cases.
“We’re either going to get arrested or I’m gonna get divorced,” Shannon Jones reportedly told her daughter when discussing what to do with the baby’s remains, indicating she was “paranoid” about the situation.
Jones was released without bail following her arrest and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 2. The case highlights serious concerns about how abortion laws are enforced and the potential consequences when desperate individuals attempt to circumvent legal medical channels. The criminal complaint details how the pregnancy was terminated without any medical supervision, placing both the mother and daughter in significant physical and legal jeopardy.
Broader Safety Concerns About Chemical Abortions
This disturbing case comes amid growing scrutiny of abortion pills and their potential dangers. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary recently announced a review of mifepristone, one of the drugs commonly used in chemical abortions, due to mounting evidence of serious medical complications. Despite abortion advocates frequently claiming these pills are “safe,” this case demonstrates the extreme risks associated with unsupervised use, particularly in advanced pregnancies where the dangers multiply exponentially.
“It’s still moving,” the teenager texted about the baby after taking the abortion pills and delivering it at home, a horrifying detail that underscores the reality of what chemical abortions actually do to developing human beings.
The skeletal remains recovered from the Jones’ property were confirmed to be those of a human fetus, but the coroner could not definitively determine if the baby was born alive. This prevented authorities from pursuing more serious charges such as homicide. The case illustrates a troubling gap in law enforcement’s ability to protect the most vulnerable human lives, even in situations where evidence suggests a live birth might have occurred before death.
