A shocking case out of Illinois has left a community reeling after police say a man secretly gave his pregnant girlfriend abortion medication, causing her to miscarry in her own apartment. The suspect, 31-year-old Emerson Evans, is now facing charges that could put him behind bars for decades.
According to Bloomington police via 25 News Now, Evans slipped abortion-inducing pills to his girlfriend without her consent. The nightmare came to light Friday evening, when officers were called to an apartment in Bloomington, about 140 miles southwest of Chicago, for what was initially reported as a “medical emergency.”
When police arrived around 5 p.m., they found a distraught woman crying in the bathroom, surrounded by blood. The woman, reportedly about seven weeks pregnant, told officers that she suddenly began to miscarry and suspected that Evans had given her abortion pills without her knowledge. Police confirmed the incident in a statement, saying Evans had “administered abortion inducing drugs to the victim without her knowledge or consent.”
Court documents cited by local outlets paint a disturbing picture. Evans allegedly admitted to investigators that he had given his girlfriend the pills because he wanted to end the pregnancy. He claimed he was simply “helping make the decision for her” and insisted that she knew he was administering the medication. Investigators say his girlfriend told a very different story, alleging she was blindsided by the sudden and traumatic miscarriage.
Even more disturbing, Evans reportedly told police he had purchased the abortion drug mifepristone from “a girl on campus” for about $50. It is not clear which campus he was referring to, or how he obtained the medication without a prescription.
Police say Evans’s actions directly caused the miscarriage. He was immediately taken into custody and booked at the McLean County Detention Facility, where he is being held ahead of his hearing.
The charges against Evans are extremely serious. He is facing two counts of intentional homicide of an unborn child under Illinois law. In the state, that crime carries the same potential sentence as first-degree murder, between 20 and 60 years in prison if convicted.
The case has led to outrage locally and online, with many calling Evans’s defense “twisted” and “disgusting.” The idea that he was “helping” by secretly forcing a medical abortion on his partner has struck a nerve, especially given the ongoing political debate over reproductive rights and women’s autonomy.
Neighbors told reporters that the woman is still recovering physically and emotionally from the traumatic event. Police have not released her name to protect her privacy.
For Evans, who now faces life-altering charges, the future looks grim. His casual admission that he was trying to “help make the decision” may become the very words that seal his fate. As the case moves forward, the community of Bloomington is bracing for what could become a publicized trial. For the victims, however, the damage is already done.
