Something strange happened in the Oregon Pine Ridge Women’s Correctional Facility in the first few months of 2023. A woman in Cell 17, which is in Block C, a part of the prison for high-risk offenders, fell down all of a sudden when she was alone. Medical staff rushed in and were astonished to learn that the woman was 20 weeks pregnant.
But here’s the strange part: she had been alone for about a year. She didn’t talk to guys, go to see them, or talk to other prisoners. There were no signs that someone had broken into or interfered with her room. Everyone wanted to know the same thing: How could she be pregnant?
This amazing story started in a simple way on October 12, 2022. That night, the prison was quiet. There was no moon or stars. The only sounds were buzzing lights and soldiers walking around Block C. In Cell 17, Emily Ann Harper, 34, was serving a life sentence for selling cocaine. She had been completely alone since 2020, with no letters, calls, or visits. Three separate female guards took turns keeping an eye on her. Emily did what she was told, didn’t cause trouble, and didn’t talk much. No one really knew what she was thinking or how she felt.
Things were different that night. Emily couldn’t get to sleep. She sat against the wall and grabbed her stomach without saying a word. At 1:46 a.m., Officer Daniel James Carter saw her on the video camera. She stood up, took a step, and suddenly fell. She hit her head on the concrete bed and didn’t move.
The alarm rang. A reaction team showed there within minutes and opened the several steel doors to get to her. Emily was completely out. Her lips were bleeding, and her right hand was on her tummy. Dr. Thomas Evans began to examine her in the medical unit. He was doing an ultrasound to check for issues within when he noticed something unexpected: a healthy fetus that was about 20 weeks old.
Dr. Evans sent an urgent message to the officials who run the institution. Robert Foster, the warden, brought all the staff together in the morning and showed them the medical reports. Everyone was shocked. How could someone get pregnant when they were being watched and kept alone so closely?
No one knew the answer.
There was an internal investigation. A group of people looked at two months’ worth of video, talked to all the employees, and checked logs, meals, medical records, and every time someone went in or out of Cell 17. There were no errors. There were no hidden things, broken doors, or interactions with males. Emily’s cell was clean and safe.
That same day, Emily got up. She whispered, “I knew I was going to have a baby.” I just want to give birth to my baby. When asked if someone made her do it, she said “no.” She didn’t answer anything when they asked her who the father was. When asked if she did it by herself, she said, “I was alone.”
A lot of people didn’t believe her. But there was no indication that it was false.
People were talking and whispering all over the prison. Some thought she might have had help from outside, while others thought the system might have broken down. They gave her a new camera in her cell. Guards saw faint lines on the wall that said, “I would rather not live, but I want my child to live.” With red thread, the words “Star of Hope” were sewed into one corner of a towel.
Even though she didn’t know what was going on, Emily stayed calm.
Who was Emily Harper?
Emily was a smart student and a well-liked instructor at one point. When she was 8 years old, she was already ahead in school. As an adult, she became both a teacher and a scientist. At the height of her career, she met a businessman from Portland who was seven years older than her. After class, he would wait for her with flowers. They fell in love and got married immediately soon. Emily quit her job as a teacher and moved to Salem with him.
Six months later, she found out that he was in debt because he had been gambling. Emily sold her residence and sought to save her marriage. But one night, he wasn’t there. He left the country and left her to pay the expenses.
She worked as a private tutor to pay her bills. One day, a contact offered her $3,000 to smuggle what she thought were legal plants across the state line. She agreed because she was in a bad place. On December 28, 2019, she was arrested. They found a kilo of heroin hidden in her bag.
During the trial, she didn’t have a lawyer or anyone else to help her. After only two sessions, she was given a life sentence on May 10, 2020.
She did not file an appeal.
She was transported to Block C, where she resided all by herself. She didn’t get any visits or deliveries, and she only had 18 minutes a day in a little yard. She used to be a smart student, but now she’s quiet and hard to find.
The Investigation Goes Deeper
Warden Foster put together a special team of experts to look into the pregnancy after it was found out. They checked everything, from the food trays to the video to the staff logs. But no one could explain how the event transpired.
Officer Daniel Carter, who saw Emily last before she passed out, was put on leave, but nothing strange was uncovered. No one had ever been able to get into her cell without her permission. Everything went according to plan.
The question was still there: Where did this kid come from?
Emily had been looking for vitamins and supplements for three months before she fell down because she was dizzy. This seemed like a major deal now.
There was one hint toward the conclusion. James Michael Turner, a 26-year-old male convict, was allowed to undertake maintenance work in a technical area near the women’s block after a power outage in July. He came about the time Emily would have gotten pregnant.
James used to study medicine. He was knowledgeable and followed the rules. He had been arrested after getting into a fight with a man who was hurting his sister. He was convicted guilty of assault, even though he was defending himself. He was allowed to help with medical and electrical work in prison because he was good at it.
When queried in October, James replied he had never talked to Emily. He said he only saw her silhouette from a distance. He said he hadn’t spoken to anyone.
People still had reservations, though. When testing the ventilation system, something unexpected was found. A newer cover on one vent led to the discovery of a spool of nylon thread, a little plastic bag, and a used syringe.
The DNA test showed that the syringe’s contents were the same as James’s DNA.
James finally spoke up in a private place for questioning. He didn’t make excuses; he told the truth.
He said he was working late next to the vent when he heard someone cough. A note got through. It was a cigarette wrapper with a message that said, “I would rather not live.” All I want is for others to see me. Over the next few days, I got more notes. One note wrote, “If I could have one wish before I die, it would be to be a mother.”
A few days later, James used a syringe to send his sperm sample through the vent. Emily tried to utilize it to get pregnant. There were no staff members involved. No one else knew.
The World Answers
When people found out the truth, they couldn’t speak. “This child wanted to come into the world,” James stated. I have never let anyone live. He didn’t explain why he did what he did; he only said it was the only thing that made their lives worth living.
Emily never utilized the fact that she was pregnant to get a lighter sentence. She didn’t ask for forgiveness or an appeal. She only said, “I want to have a baby.” I don’t want to evade my punishment. “Please give me this one thing before I die.”
Assistant Warden Elizabeth Brooks, who was known for being strict, found a note that Emily had written on a medicine wrapper that said, “I only hear footsteps.” But something inside me is changing. It is small, yet it is alive. What is alive never dies.
Brooks, who had lost her own baby years ago, felt something shift inside her. She brought the letter to a meeting with the staff. No one got in trouble. The team made an amazing decision: Emily would be able to safely give delivery.
Stella’s Hope
There was a storm on May 3, 2023, when Emily went into labor. She was sent to the prison’s medical unit since the roads were flooded. Emily had a healthy, calm baby girl who weighed 2,700 grams. She just had basic help and a military doctor. Emily gave her daughter the name Stella Hope.
The state got a report. Emily’s life sentence was changed to probation due of medical and legal evidence and what she did.
She stayed in the building, but things became better. She wrote down Stella’s first smile, first walk, and first word in a small notepad every day. Stella’s cry became a sound of life in a place where there was no sound.
James never got back to Emily. He saw her holding Stella the day he got out. For a short while, they looked at each other. She shook her head. That was it.
Life goes on.
When Stella turned three, Emily felt her daughter shouldn’t be in jail. She planned for Stella to live with Aunt Mary, a nice woman who took care of youngsters and lived in a quiet house with apple trees all around it.
Emily handed her daughter a notebook and a picture. “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever made” was written on the opening page. I lived for you.
Emily still writes even though she’s in jail.