On this day, June 24, in 1997, 18-year-old Melissa Drexler was charged with killing her newborn baby during her high school prom in Forked River, N.J.
Drexler had kept her pregnancy a secret from family and friends. On the way to the dance her water broke. She ducked into a bathroom stall and gave birth to a boy. She cut the umbilical cord, wrapped the baby in garbage bags and put the bundle in the trash.
Drexler returned to the dance floor as if nothing happened, just in time to listen to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.”
A janitor responding to reports of blood in the bathroom found the newborn inside the garbage. Drexler, who was dubbed “Prom Mom” by the press, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years. She was released on parole in 2001, after serving three years.
Scott McCabe
