Fetus recovered from trash at Grovetown Walmart after call from Hospital

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Date: July 24, 2024

Columbia County authorities confirmed that a fetus was recovered Tuesday from the trash at the Grovetown Walmart at 5010 Steiner Way.

Officials with Wellstar MCH Health alerted authorities about a patient who had given birth and the fetus being placed in the trash at the Grovetown Walmart, according to sheriff’s Maj. Steve Morris.

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Based on that information, officers went to the store and recovered the body, described as an early-term fetus. Investigators are also interviewing the woman and others.

A full investigation is underway and an autopsy will be conducted on the baby, Maj. Morris said.

Witnesses reported the aftermath of the discovery, with one Walmart shopper saying she was parked there when she saw a crime scene workers pulling up and a sheriff’s office pulling out a bag.

Local residents reacted in shock to the news. One resident said the discovery should be called a baby, not a fetus.

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The Author

Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. He also owns AugustaCrime.com. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel. He is married with two daughters.

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