Fetus found in Kensington sewer pipe
Plumbers working to unclog a pipe in a Kensington basement found a human fetus stuck in the pipe on Monday afternoon, police said.
Fetus found in Kensington sewer pipe
Plumbers working on a house in Kensington made a gruesome discovery late Monday afternoon -- a human fetus in a basement sewer pipe.
Police said a plumber and his assistant were working in a house on Russell Street near G around 4 p.m. when they made the discovery. They were in the basement trying to clear a clog in pipes connected to the toilet when they found the fetus stuck in the pipe, said Chief Inspector Scott Small.
Investigators preliminarily estimated the unborn fetus, which they said was about the size of a man's fist, to be about 14 to 16 weeks old. They said it did not appear to be decomposed.
"It may not be a crime scene," Small said outside the house as neighbors gathered on the narrow street. "It appears someone may have had a miscarriage."
Small said the men who found the fetus were taken to speak with investigators in the Special Victims Unit. He added that the Medical Examiner was at the scene and would perform an autopsy to determine the age of the fetus, whether it was viable and how long it had been in the pipe.
Police expressed concern for the woman involved, saying she's likely in need of medical attention.
Neighbors and police said a couple in their 60s had recently moved into the house. Police said they do not believe the woman who lives there was pregnant, so they're looking into who else may have been in the property recently.
Sorry, if a sewer worker can identify it as a fetus, so too should the mother.— kelprod2- good comment jester.....hate hate hate is their mantra...hate the city, hate the people, and hate themselves for their small mindedness....nah a ged is hard to get..stay in your parent's basements and continue to hide from the world— joegrink
- sorry, but the hate and everything is what makes me come back to this site, it's funny to read. Actually i cannot remember the last time i read the article. All i do now is read the headline, from the headline gather if there are good funny comments (usually factual; although sometimes over the top, but hey that's what is great about the internet), and just jump right down to the comments. the internet is really the last public place one can speak what they really think. remember the people commenting on the haters are spewing hate themselves so eff off. — What are you TALKING ABOUT?
- I can't believe the comments are open here, and idiots think this is a platform for their psychotic political agenda.— road515
- Thank you jester for succinctly expressing my feelings toward the low life scum that comment on this site daily. I seriously could not say it any better.— sparky2212
- Sheesh. Corporatehuman and MarlineM are among the very few in this comment thread who have any sense. The definition of miscarriage--and this is a direct quote from the Mayo Clinic's website (or is that not enough of a respected and knowledgeable organization for you guys?)--is "the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before the 20th week." The site goes on to say that "about 15 to 20 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. But the actual number is probably much higher because many miscarriages occur so early in pregnancy that a woman doesn't even know she's pregnant. Most miscarriages occur because the fetus isn't developing normally." When I first saw that they suspected the fetus to be 14-16 weeks old, miscarriage was my first thought. I generally hold my tongue on these philly.com threads, and I really don't like calling people names, but you guys really deserve it on this one. You are some of the most bitter, classless, and disgusting idiots I've ever met, virtually speaking. Especially Citizenc92, with his attempt to link "liberal socialism" with what looks like the tragedy of a miscarriage. If a crime was committed, then I hope the perpetrator gets justice. But it's the way you guys just glean so much joy out of tragedy, always ready to jump to your conclusions so you can preach to the choir. You guys sicken me. Even on some of the articles that are about good news, some of you find a way to squeeze misery and sarcasm out of it. I'm surprised some of you have enough brains to turn on a computer, let alone type on it. Go crawl back into your dirty pits. Good luck getting that GED online. Stay classy, Philly, indeed.— jester
- Communism went out the door more than 20 years ago. "Communist" China is not what you think it is. Philly is far from "Communist". Stay classy Philly.thompson837.— muddyfuddyPA
Comment removed.- The vast majority of pregnancies do, in fact, end in a miscarriage. Most women are unaware they're pregnant; they think the miscarriage is their period. There's a reason you're not supposed to tell anyone you're pregnant until you're at two months along minimum--it's because so many are lost before the three-month mark. This fetus was the size of a man's fist, estimated at 14-16 weeks, and could very easily be flushed down the toilet (as many miscarriages are).— MarlineM
- Wow, they left the comments open on this one?— sillypenn
- Miscarriage is a sad tragedy. I hope the woman can get medical help and in the future give birth to a healthy child in a stable family setting, married to the father.— Mr. Smith
- Comment removed.
- Apparently you A) don't realize that Kensington is really at least 5 distinct neighborhoods B) don't know that 1/4 of Kensington is rapidly gentrifying and undergoing PRIVATIZED urban renewal (hint: without taxpayer dollars). We've been gaining new residents moving into Kensington---FROM THE SUBURBS. — EastChestnut
- kewl— The Usual Suspects
- corporatehuman...thank you for the insight that some women miscarry a full blown fetus and do not even notice. Then successfully flush it down the toilet. Who knew there were so many blind chicks getting pregnant in Philly. Stay classy Philly, stay classy.— kelprod2
- Uhh non-story with a sensationalized title. @reasonableihope please use the internet to fact check yourself. 10-25% of all clinically recognized pregnancies end in miscarriage. There are many accounts where a woman can miscarry without even realizing she did, thus flushing it down. Yeah not every article here has to give rise to all the misguided commentators that destroy this website with their constant hatred and drivel. Stay classy philly.com— corporatehuman
- The vast majority of pregnancies do not end in a miscarriage. It's a story because with al the junk pwd finds in the sewer it's not too often I hope that they find a fetus! If this is not a story to you then you need to leave, you are part of the problem— reasonableihope
- Agreed with Kelprod - This is what happens when liberal socialists dicatate to a people and a welfare state (city) is allowed to emerge. 100 yrs ago, this behavior would have been delt with severely and swiftly...my how we have regressed as a society in many many ways.— Citizenc92
- Comment removed.
- Stay classy Philly.— kelprod2
