What did Jessica Burgess do? Nebraska mom and daughter face legal charges over illegal abortion

Authorities in Nebraska have charged Jessica Burgess and her teenage daughter, Celeste Burgess, with felonies. They allegedly performed an illegal home abortion and then tried to burn and bury the fetus, which the expectant girl allegedly referred to as a "thing" she wanted "out of her body."

Jessica Burgess, 41, is charged with performing or attempting an abortion after more than 20 weeks of being pregnant. She is also charged with performing an abortion when not a licensed doctor, removing, concealing, or abandoning a dead human body, concealing the death of another person, and submitting a false report in Madison County.

Celeste Burgess, her now-18-year-old daughter, has been charged as an adult with removing, concealing, or abandoning a dead human body, concealing the death of another person, and false reporting.

Tanner Barnhill, 22, who reportedly assisted Jessica Burgess and her daughter in burying the aborted fetus, has been charged with attempted concealing the death of another person.

Since Celeste's pregnancy termination in April, when she was just 17 years old, both the mother and daughter have filed not guilty pleas to the accusations against them.

According to the prosecution, Jessica Burgess assisted her daughter Celeste Burgess in having an abortion earlier this year even though her medical records showed she was 23 weeks pregnant. This is over the legal limit for abortion and violates Nebraska state law.

Speaking about this particular case, Joseph Smith, the county attorney for Madison, stated on Friday:

"I don’t think I’ve ever had a case like this. Usually, abortions are performed in hospitals, and doctors are involved, and it’s not the type of stuff that occurred in this case."

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Jessica Burgess and Celeste Burgess claimed the latter had a miscarriage first

Following a tip, Norfolk police in the city of Virginia started investigating the matter in April. According to Celeste and her mother, the teen mom had a miscarriage.

Medical records found by the detective showed that the pregnant woman was due to deliver on July 3. The detective also met with Jessica Burgess and her daughter. According to court documents, the mother-daughter duo informed him that Celeste had given birth to a stillborn child while taking a shower.

Jessica Burgess and Celeste also acknowledged burying the fetus at a location in Madison County, Nebraska, with the assistance of Barnhill, whose parents owned the property. According to court documents, 'Thermal wounds' were evident when the body was found by investigators in late April. Police subsequently charged the pair with setting the fetus on fire.

The body was allegedly placed in a bag and transported in a van. They later buried the body with Barnhill's assistance a short distance away. The women even took the detective to the location where the body was buried.

Not long after, authorities obtained a search request for Facebook chats between the mother and daughter. The messages revealed that Jessica Burgess was buying abortion pills for her daughter and giving her advice on how to take them.

After police were able to collect the messages between the two, Jessica Burgess and her daughter were eventually charged with performing an illegal abortion.

A detective wrote in a document:

"C. Burgess talks about how she can’t wait to get the ‘thing’ out of her body and reaffirms with J. Burgess that they will burn the evidence afterward."

According to court documents, on June 27, Jessica Burgess was freed from custody after posting a $10,000 bond. However, she will be required to return to court on September 2.

Meanwhile, on July 21, Jessica Burgess' daughter was freed after posting a $20,000 bond. She is expected to be back in court on August 29. Barnhill was found guilty despite having entered a no contest plea for the allegation. On August 23, he will be sentenced.

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"I will continue doing whatever I can": Governor Pete Ricketts on upholding abortion ban

The case comes in the aftermath of the US Supreme Court's decision on annual abortion rights guaranteed by the landmark decision in Roe v. Wade. It raised concerns about women's access to abortion services in Republican states.

Republican governor of Nebraska Pete Ricketts stated on Monday that he will not ask lawmakers to vote on a ban on abortions after 12 weeks because there is not enough popular support for the restriction. Only 30 lawmakers supported the proposal, which was three votes shy of the required number to have it passed. Ricketts said:

"It is deeply saddening that only 30 Nebraska state senators are willing to come back to Lincoln this fall in order to protect innocent life. As Governor, I will continue doing whatever I can in my power to affirm the rights of pre-born babies and to support pregnant women, children, and families in need."