Pregnant teenager found dead with her 'womb cut out' after allegedly being impregnated by her stepfather
An arrest warrant for the teenager's mother said she was mentally disabled and had been abused by her stepfather
A mentally disabled teenager who told teachers she had been impregnated by her stepfather has been found dead with her womb removed in Texas.
The 18-year-old girl’s body was found at her family home, which had been partially set on fire near the city of Lubbock in February.
The woman’s stepfather is being held on suspicion of continuous sexual abuse of a child, the Lubbock County Sherriff’s Office said, while her mother was arrested on accusations of aggravated sexual assault of a disabled person.
No one has yet been formally charged in relation to the teenager’s death but an arrest warrant seen by the Associated Press alleges that the mother knew her husband was abusing her two daughters, including a surviving 15-year-old girl.
The document reportedly said the killed teenager had a mental age of between six and seven, and told school staff that her stepfather had impregnated her in January.
“Mom told her not to tell anyone because mom needed (the stepfather) to pay bills,” the warrant said.
Less than a fortnight later, she was found dead with her throat cut and womb removed, as well as other injuries.
A pathologist at the Lubbock County Medical Examiner's Office told the Everything Lubbock website confirmed that the teenager's womb was missing and said a number of "sharp force injuries" were also found.
Investigators told local media they believed a fire was set to hide evidence of the killing.
The younger daughter has been taken into foster care as the investigation continued.
A statement from the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office said the mother had “first hand knowledge of the sexual assault (of her daughters) and allowed them to occur”.
The woman and her husband remain in custody ahead of bond hearings scheduled for later this month.