Purvi Patel’s request to attend brother’s engagement denied.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: A trial date has been set in the case of an Indian-American woman who has been accused of gross negligence that led to the death of her baby. Purvi Patel, a 32 year-old resident of Granger, Indiana, was charged by St. Joseph County prosecutors with one count of neglect (Class A).
According to police and prosecutors, Patel was roughly 28 weeks pregnant, meaning she had only a couple more months before being able to naturally give birth to her baby. Instead, she opted to induce labor, cut the umbilical cord, put the fetus in a grocery bag and toss it into a dumpster behind a Moe’s Southwest Grill restaurant.
When the baby was found, an autopsy was conducted that ultimately stated that the baby, though born premature, was born alive and even managed to take a breath.
Doctors at St. Joseph Region Hospital Center said Patel walked into the emergency room bleeding, with an umbilical cord coming out of her. Two obstetricians examined her and concluded that she had, in fact, given birth. When the fetus was found, Patel was arrested.
Phone records indicate that Patel had conversations with at least one other person in which she discussed her pregnancy. She also ordered two different drugs from Hong Kong, one for aborting a young fetus and one for inducing labor. The latter is surmised to be the one she took the night of the crime.
Patel has been denied her request to leave the state to go to her brother’s engagement in Illinois. She has been ordered to stay in the state of Indiana while the case is active, and specifically within St. Joseph County during her trial. She will have to appear in court on October 10th to enter a plea deal, if any, and her trial itself will begin on November 12th.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com
2 Comments
No surprises here. Most indians don’t know squat about marriage, or kids. Its just a chore with nonsensical tradition and grandiose. Pathetic and Dad indeed.
Nothing surprising here. Most indian women are bad mothers let alone men, bad fathers. Although there are exemplary exceptions. To most indians marriage, kids etc are a chore to be done with not thought nor concern. Former indian here. :-)