Maine report of woman carting fetus in bag probed

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Authorities are investigating what appeared to be a fetus that a woman was carrying in a plastic bag as she walked in downtown Bangor, police said Monday.

Police confronted the woman Friday afternoon after getting a call that she had a fetus, said Sgt. Paul Edwards. What appeared to be a fetus was inside a sealed plastic container the woman was carrying in a grocery bag, he said.

Nobody was arrested, and no charges have been filed.

The state medical examiner was expected to conduct an examination Tuesday to determine whether it was indeed a fetus, and if so how old it was, whether it came from a miscarriage or abortion, and who the mother is, Edwards said.

The woman, whose identity was not made public, was interviewed and released, he said.

"When we responded she came right to the police officer and handed it over," Edwards said. He did not elaborate.