Melinda Spencer, 35, faces serious charges in Kentucky after allegedly using online-ordered medication to end her pregnancy, resulting in the death of a developed male infant. She reportedly buried the remains in a shallow grave behind her home on Flat Mary Road in Wolfe County, which police confirmed during their investigation.​
Incident Details
Spencer disclosed the self-induced abortion to staff at United Clinic in Campton on December 31, 2025, prompting clinic employees to alert Kentucky State Police around 2:30 p.m. She admitted taking the medication starting December 26, delivering the fetus the next day, and concealing it to hide the pregnancy from her boyfriend. The infant was found wrapped in a white rag inside a Christmas-wrapped light bulb box within a white grocery sack.​
Legal Charges
Authorities charged her with first-degree fetal homicide—a capital offense carrying potential life imprisonment or the death penalty—plus abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and first-degree promoting contraband. Kentucky’s near-total abortion ban allows procedures only to save the mother’s life or prevent serious injury, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Spencer remains in Three Forks Regional Jail without bond as of early January 2026.​
Broader Context
An autopsy is pending to determine the fetus’s gestational age, and the investigation continues. Advocacy groups like Kentucky Right to Life called the incident a “profound tragedy,” highlighting risks of unregulated abortion pills. The case underscores Kentucky’s strict reproductive laws, ranked among the nation’s most restrictive.
