BRENHAM, Texas (KTRK) — The Washington County District Attorney's Office is now leading an investigation into the discovery of a small human fetus in Brenham, police said.
The Brenham Police Department said Monday, the "persons of interest" voluntarily came to their police department to talk to investigators.
Officials said they made this decision after local media coverage of the incident.
Investigators have since learned the fetus was delivered at Baylor Scott and White Hospital in Brenham, and that doctors had legally released the remains of the fetus to the mother.
Officials said their identities will not be released due to privacy reasons.
“The delivery of the fetus was carried out by medical professionals and the intended mother was medically cared for and cleared for release," Brenham police said in a statement.
"Under current state laws and the Texas Health and Safety Code, if the delivered fetus is under a certain threshold for weight and term of pregnancy, the remains may be released directly to the parents, if addressed appropriately by individual hospital policy, as well,"
"Under those circumstances, medical professionals released the fetus to the mother, an adult,” police said.
As first published by ABC13, witnesses said two people, a male and female believed to be teenagers, were reportedly seen carrying a shovel while coming from the woods at Holht Park.
Police said the area was searched and a dead fetus' body was later found in a grave.
Detectives and investigators were then dispatched to the scene to collect and process the evidence.
The fetus has since been sent to the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy.