Melissa Drexler

Melissa Drexler (born 1978), who was nicknamed in the media as "The Prom Mom", is an American woman who, as a teenage high school student in 1997, delivered a baby in a restroom stall during her high school prom dance. She put the baby in the trash can and then returned to the dance. Drexler pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter, and was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment.[1] After serving three years and one month, she was released on parole.[2]

Melissa Drexler
Born	1978 (age 41–42)
Criminal charge	Aggravated manslaughter
Penalty	15 years

Pregnancy

Drexler attended Lacey Township High School in the Forked River section of Lacey Township, New Jersey. She kept her pregnancy secret from the baby's father, her parents and friends. At five feet seven inches (170 cm) tall, and about 60 kg (130 lb) when not pregnant, she apparently showed no signs of her pregnancy.[3] On June 6, 1997, Drexler gave birth in a bathroom stall at her senior prom, twenty minutes after complaining of stomach cramps in the car she had arrived in. She retrieved the baby from the toilet bowl, placed it in a plastic bag, and deposited it in a trash can. It is thought that she severed the umbilical cord on the serrated edge of a sanitary napkin dispenser. According to the prosecutor, a friend asked if she was all right, and she replied "I'll be done pretty soon. Go tell the boys we'll be right out." She then returned to the dance floor, ate a salad, and danced with her boyfriend. When Drexler and her friends were asked by teachers about the blood in the bathroom, she replied that she was having a heavy menstrual period. The baby was discovered by a janitor, after a school nurse cleaned the bloody bathroom stall, emptied the trash can, and became suspicious of the weight of the trash bag.[4][5]

Criminal proceedings

As part of a plea agreement, Drexler pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter on August 20, 1998.[1] Court transcripts have not been released.[5] She was sentenced to 15 years in prison. On November 26, 2001, she was freed on parole after serving a little over three years.[2]

See also

• Infanticide
• Neonaticide
• Véronique Courjault

References

1. Smothers, Ronald (August 21, 1998). "Guilty Plea By Mother, 20, In Prom Death". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
2. Lima, Paulo (24 November 2001). "Prom night baby-killer to be freed from prison". The Bergen County Record. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
3. Barron, James (June 10, 1997). "Decision Whether to Charge Prom Mother Awaits Tests". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
4. "New Jersey Charges Woman, 18, With Killing Baby Born at Prom". New York Times. 25 June 1997. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
5. Vickie Jensen (30 November 2011). Women Criminals: An Encyclopedia of People and Issues. ABC-CLIO. pp. 385–. ISBN 978-0-313-33713-0.