Spring Man Charged After Secret Drugging of Pregnant Woman Leads to Stillbirth Investigation
THE WOODLANDS, Texas – A Spring, TX, man has been arrested following an investigation into allegations that a pregnant woman was secretly given medication intended to terminate her pregnancy, resulting in a stillbirth, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were dispatched Feb. 21 to a hospital in The Woodlands after medical staff reported a miscarriage under suspicious circumstances. The mother told deputies she believed the father of her unborn child had administered a drug without her knowledge or consent.
The child, whom the mother named Presley Mae, was stillborn at the hospital.
Detectives with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, along with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and Crime Scene Investigators, launched an investigation with assistance from the Montgomery County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Investigators determined the suspect, identified as Jon Rueben Gabriel Demeter, 25, of Spring, had previously urged the mother to seek an abortion and offered to pay for out-of-state travel for the procedure. Authorities said the mother declined and expressed her intent to continue the pregnancy.
According to investigators, evidence showed Demeter obtained abortion medication and covertly administered it to the woman without her consent with the intent of causing the death of the unborn child.
Demeter was arrested Feb. 23 by Major Crimes detectives and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury involving family violence. Officials said additional charges may be filed as evidence processing continues. He is being held in the Montgomery County Jail without bond.
“The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office commends the tireless dedication of our detectives, crime scene investigators, prosecutors, and patrol personnel who worked on this difficult and sensitive case,” Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with the mother and her family as they mourn the loss of Presley Mae.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
