KINGSLAND, GEORGIA — Alexia Moore was arrested on March 4 and charged with murder and drug possession after police say she self-administered misoprostol and oxycodone, leading to the premature delivery and death of her infant. Moore has been held in Camden County, Georgia, since her arrest.

Moore was taken to the hospital by ambulance on December 30 after her friend found her in the bathroom of her home in severe pain. Police learned during an investigation that Moore had taken misoprostol, a drug that induces an abortion. Moore told medical personnel that she had taken misoprostol and oxycodone, according to the arrest warrant.

The infant girl was delivered prematurely in the emergency room with health issues, including respiratory problems. Medical records estimated that Moore had been pregnant for 22 to 24 weeks based on information that the fetus had a beating heart and was struggling to breathe. The baby was alive for about an hour before she died.

Moore told nursing staff, "I know my infant is suffering, because I am the one who did the abortion. I want her to die," according to the arrest warrant affidavit. Moore's friend told police that Moore said she was going to take misoprostol and oxycodone.

The arrest warrant affidavit charges Moore with possession of dangerous drugs and possession of a controlled substance. Court records show that Moore's attorney has filed motions seeking a bond and a speedy trial. The Georgia Public Defender Council is representing Moore in her defense.

In 2019, Georgia passed a law that prohibits abortions after a detectable human heartbeat is present, which is generally present at about six weeks' gestation. Under Georgia law, an embryo is legally a person once cardiac activity can be detected. The Georgia abortion law permits abortions in the event of a medical emergency and in cases of rape or incest with an official police report when the probable gestational age is 20 weeks or less.

A 2024 study by Pregnancy Justice found that at least 210 women across the U.S. were charged with crimes related to their pregnancies in the 12 months after the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. Most of those cases involved allegations of substance use during pregnancy.