Pro-life group says DC police helped cover up abortion doctor's 'crimes'

In a press conference on Tuesday, members of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) called for Dr. Cesare Santangelo to be investigated, and that police in the District of Columbia are "actively involved in a cover up of Dr. Santangelo’s crimes."

"The 115 babies found at Santangelo's mill included 110 first trimester babies, as well as five third trimester babies killed by Santangelo. The corpses of these five babies appeared to indicate a violation of federal law. Dr. Santangelo needs to be investigated immediately by the US Department of Justice. who is tasked with enforcing federal law," said Missy Smith, director of Wake Up.

"Furthermore, we believe the DC Metro Police are actively involved in a cover up of Dr. Santangelo's crimes," she added.

Smith continued on to say that the boxes they reportedly intercepted that contained these fetuses are from the bio waste company Curtis Bay Energy, which states that they burn biomedical waste to sustain the energy needs of the Baltimore area.

"This means, tragically, that they receive, transfer, and burn the corpses of aborted babies to make electricity for the households and businesses of the Baltimore area. If you live in the Baltimore area, you must know that aborted babies have been burned to keep your lights on and your house warm," she added.

PAAU members Lauren Handy and Terrisa Bukovinac explained to The Daily Wire that they allegedly received this box of aborted fetuses at Washington Surgi Center, from the driver of a Curtis Bay Energy truck.

"We saw a medical waste truck outside from Curtis Bay Medical Waste Services," Bukovinac explained. "Washington Surgi Center is inside a medical building, so we weren't necessarily sure that it was what we thought it was."

They allegedly asked the driver if he knew what was in the boxed, to which he said he did not. It was after this that Bukovinac said she told him, "It's dead babies."

"I asked him if he picks up at other abortion clinics because there were other boxes in the trunk, and he looked at the boxes and looked back at us a little panicked and he said 'I don't know,'" Bukovinac said.

"Would you get in trouble if we take one of these?" Bukovinac said she asked the truck driver, to which she says he responded, "What would you do with them if you took one?"

Handy said that they planned to give the fetuses a "proper burial" and funeral. It was after this that the man said they could take the boxes.

Curtis Bay Energy has denied these claims though, stating that no boxes were missing, and that the company does not dispose of human remains.

"At no time did the Curtis Bay employee hand over any of these packages to the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising or other third party, and any allegations made otherwise are false," the statement to The Daily Wire said.

"As stated in client agreements and company policy, customers like Washington Surgi Clinic are prohibited from disposing of fetuses and human remains via Curtis Bay’s services," the statement added.

"Curtis Bay provides its clients with medical waste bags and boxes to use in a manner that complies with applicable law, client agreements and company policy," the company continued. "Curtis Bay continues to fully cooperate with law enforcement."

Graphic photos obtained by The Daily Wire show that the boxes, clearly labeled with Curtis Bay on it, contained plastic containers of fetuses.

Bukovinac told The Daily Wire that following a letter from PAAU's lawyer to police requesting that authorities collect the aborted fetuses and conduct a forensic examination, police came and took the box of remains.

Handy was recently arrested and charged under The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) for blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic in 2020. If convicted, Handy and eight other defendants could face up to 10 years in federal prison.

"Prior to the arrest, one of the defendants privately arranged for the Metropolitan Washington DC Police homicide unit to pick up five recently discovered late-term aborted babies for forensic examination," a press statement from PAAU reads.

"Their late gestation; ages and their apparent sustained in juries suggested possible violations of the federal Partial Birth Abortion Act and the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. These babies were given to police based on the suspicion of these violations," the statement added.

DC Police Executive Assist. Chief of Police Ashan M. Benedict said during a Thursday press conference that the fetuses appeared to have been aborted in accordance with DC law and the only criminality that occurred was "...how they got into that house."

Handy reportedly received the late-term aborted fetuses from a whistleblower at a DC abortion clinic.