Prosecutor: Couple Disposed of Stillborn Fetus

A couple was arrested earlier this month after they allegedly disposed of their stillborn child's fetus in a garbage container outside their East Hanover residence, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said Monday.

Erin Dougherty, 25, and her boyfriend were each charged on May 9 with third-degree unlawful disposal of medical waste and fourth-degree unlawful disposal of medical waste.

According to a statement released by Capt. Jeffrey Paul, a spokesman for Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi, Dougherty sought medical treatment at Morristown Medical Center on Tuesday, May 8 after she allegedly suffered a stillborn birth "on or about" Sunday, May 6.

The couple allegedly discarged the fetus in a garbage receptacle outside their East Hanover residence, the prosecutor's office said.

Authorities were notified of the incident by the hospital on Tuesday, May 8, the prosecutor's office said.

The investigation revealed the garbage was picked up from the residence on Monday, May 7 and transported to the Morris County Transfer Station in Parsippany before taken to a landfill in Pennsylvania, the prosecutor's office said.

The couple has been released on $7,500 bail.

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information should contact the East Hanover Police Department at 973-887-0432, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit at 973-285-6200 or the Morris County Sheriff's Office Crime Stopper Program at 973-COPCALL.

The prosecutor's office is expected to release more information at a news conference Monday at 2 p.m.