District Attorney Patrick Warren announced today that all charges have been dismissed against a 24-year-old Tifton woman, Selena Chandler-Scott, who experienced a miscarriage and was later arrested after placing the fetal remains in a dumpster. The decision follows a comprehensive review of the Tifton Police Department\u2019s investigative file, Georgia Bureau of Investigation\u2019s Medical Examiner\u2019s report, relevant Georgia statutes and case law, and input from both legal and medical experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter thorough examination of the facts and the law, my office has determined that continuing prosecution is not legally sustainable and not in the interest of justice,\u201d said Warren. \u201cThis case is heartbreaking and emotionally difficult for everyone involved, but our decision must be grounded in law\u2014not emotion or speculation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Warren addressed public concern regarding the timing of the charges, clarifying that his office advised law enforcement to wait for the full medical findings and completed witness statements before moving forward. Warren said, \u201cWhile law enforcement acted in good faith and responded to a very difficult and emotional situation, it\u2019s now clear that no criminal law was violated. As chief prosecutor, it\u2019s my responsibility to take a step back and look at the complete picture. In this case, the medical examiner\u2019s findings\u2014combined with the legal standards\u2014make clear that continued prosecution is not appropriate. This case highlights the importance of careful review and thoughtful decision-making, particularly in sensitive situations like pregnancy loss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chandler-Scott was charged with concealing the death of another under O.C.G.A. \u00a7 16-10-31 and abandonment of a dead body under O.C.G.A. \u00a7 31-21-44.2. However, both statutes are inapplicable in this context. Georgia\u2019s \u201cconcealing the death of another\u201d statute is designed to prosecute individuals who deliberately hide the death of another person to mislead authorities about the manner of death. Georgia\u2019s \u201cthrowing away or abandonment of a human body\u201d makes it a felony in Georgia to knowingly discard or abandon a dead human body.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Relevant Georgia case law requires that the death of the person – in both statutes – be of another, which was \u2018born and existed separate and independent of its mother\u2019 in order for the person charged to be found guilty. In this case, the GBI Medical Examiner\u2019s report confirmed the fetus was approximately 19-weeks old and non-viable at the time it was naturally miscarried and had not taken a breath outside the womb. The findings indicated no signs of life or independent respiration occurred, and no evidence of trauma or foul play was present. These conclusions were critical in determining that Chandler-Scott\u2019s disposal of the naturally miscarried, non-viable fetus did not involve any criminal act as it was not legally classified as having been born alive and lived independently under Georgia law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chandler-Scott was interviewed by law enforcement, during which time she told investigators she did not know what else to do with the fetal remains. There is no specific Georgia statute or case law that addresses an individual\u2019s choice to dispose of a naturally miscarried, non-viable fetus as it is generally deemed a medical condition and prosecution is not warranted. As such, there is insufficient evidence that she threw away or abandoned a dead body, nor that she was concealing another person\u2019s death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis was a disturbing and tragic case,\u201d Warren said. \u201cI want to acknowledge the pain felt across the community. I do not condone the way the remains were handled, and I understand that her actions were distressing to many. But my duty is not to punish what feels wrong\u2014it is to uphold the law with fairness and integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He further commended the officers and investigators involved for their professionalism and compassion. \u201cThe officers who responded to the scene and discovered Ms. Chandler-Scott and her fetus acted with professionalism in a very difficult situation. They were deeply affected by what they encountered, and I thank them for their commitment to this community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile some may feel my decision excuses Ms. Chandler-Scott\u2019s conduct, justice must be based on law\u2014not emotion. My hope is that this dismissal allows Ms. Chandler-Scott and the Tifton community to begin a process of recovery. As with any dismissal, it is important to note that although the investigation to my knowledge is complete, if additional information or incriminating evidence becomes available that is not already in the case file, my office may review this case again for prosecution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He concluded by reaffirming his office\u2019s commitment to legal integrity and public trust. \u201cAs District Attorney, I will always act with honesty, legal precision, and humanity. The law must be applied evenly and ethically\u2014even when the outcome may challenge our emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n[mailerlite_form form_id=11]\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
District Attorney Patrick Warren announced today that all charges have been dismissed against a 24-year-old Tifton woman, Selena Chandler-Scott, who experienced a miscarriage and was later arrested after placing the fetal remains in a dumpster. The decision follows a comprehensive review of the Tifton Police Department\u2019s investigative file, Georgia Bureau of Investigation\u2019s Medical Examiner\u2019s report, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":948,"featured_media":37422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,14077],"tags":[17546,17545],"class_list":["post-219872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","category-newsflash","tag-miscarriage","tag-selena-maria-chandler-scott","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/948"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=219872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219872\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=219872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=219872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=219872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}