Woman’s Fetus Dies After She Swallows Drug During Arrest

A pregnant woman stopped on suspicion of stealing a car lost her unborn baby after swallowing methamphetamine as police were taking her into custody, authorities said Saturday.

Without the officers realizing it, Virginia Frances Rangel, 30, who was six months pregnant, managed to swallow the drug as she was being arrested Thursday with Carlos Valdivia, 42, for allegedly stealing her parents’ 1973 Chevy pickup, police said.

Officers at the Tustin police station called paramedics when they noticed that Rangel was shaking uncontrollably and had a high fever, police said. “It was obvious something was very wrong with her,” said Tustin Police Sgt. Del Pickney.

Paramedics took Rangel to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, where doctors quickly discovered that her fetus had died in the womb. Rangel remained in the hospital late Saturday. Orange County coroner’s investigators are conducting tests to determine what caused the death.

Tustin police arrested Rangel on Thursday after spotting her parents’ stolen vehicle in the parking lot of the Tustin Motor Lodge. They waited until Rangel and Valdivia, both of Orange, showed up and got into the truck, police said.

Rangel and Valdivia were also booked on suspicion of auto theft, possession of stolen property, possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of narcotics. She also was booked on suspicion of cruelty to a child.