Investigators say the medication ended the pregnancy and led to a stillbirth.
THE WOODLANDS, TX — A 25-year-old man in the Houston suburbs has been charged after investigators said he secretly gave his pregnant girlfriend abortion medication without her knowledge, causing her to miscarry and deliver a stillborn baby at a hospital in The Woodlands.
The case has drawn attention because it centers on an allegation of hidden drugging inside an intimate relationship and because it involves a medication that is tightly restricted in Texas. Authorities said the investigation is still moving and that the charge could be increased as evidence is reviewed and the case is presented to prosecutors.
Deputies were called to a hospital on Sat., Feb. 21, after staff reported what investigators described as a miscarriage under suspicious circumstances. The woman told authorities she believed the father of her baby, Jon Rueben Gabriel Demeter of Spring, had given her a drug meant to end the pregnancy without her consent. Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said in a statement that investigators treated the report as a major-crimes case because it involved allegations of domestic violence and serious bodily injury.
By Mon., Feb. 23, Demeter had been formally charged in Montgomery County with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury in a family violence case. Authorities said he was being held in the Montgomery County Jail with no bond while the investigation continued. Officials did not publicly release many details about when the woman took the medication, how it was given, or where the suspected drugging occurred, saying the evidence is being processed and reviewed.
Investigators said the woman had told Demeter she planned to keep the baby, but he wanted her to have an abortion and tried more than once to persuade her. Authorities said she told investigators he even offered to pay for her to travel out of state for an abortion. Instead, investigators allege he obtained abortion medication and gave it to her without her knowledge or consent. The sheriff’s office and local news reports said the baby was delivered stillborn at the hospital and that the mother named the child Presley Mae.
ABC13 reported that investigators believe the medication involved was mifepristone, a hormone-blocking drug used in medication abortions and now broadly restricted in Texas. Authorities have not described the pregnancy’s gestational age, and they have not publicly outlined what medical findings led them to suspect medication was involved. The sheriff’s office said the case was investigated jointly with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, with assistance from the Montgomery County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The woman’s account to deputies triggered the inquiry, but officials have not said whether investigators recovered pills, packaging, electronic records, or other evidence showing how the drug was obtained. They also have not said whether Demeter is accused of putting the medication in food or drink, giving it to her as another medicine, or using some other method. Investigators have said the central claim is that it was administered covertly and without consent, and that it was intended to end the pregnancy.
Demeter’s family has publicly pushed back on the idea that the story is complete, while not addressing the allegation directly. His mother, Cookie Demeter, told ABC13 that her son turned himself in and that his side of the story would come out in court. “You don’t know the other side of the story,” she said in an interview. She also said her son has two young children and that she had only recently learned about the pregnancy.
Officials have not described any prior police calls or protective orders connected to the couple. They also have not released the woman’s name, a common practice in cases that involve alleged domestic violence and sensitive medical information. The sheriff’s office has not said whether it believes anyone else helped obtain the medication, whether investigators are examining phone messages or financial records, or whether a search warrant was used in the case.
Under Texas law, aggravated assault can cover a wide range of conduct when serious bodily injury is alleged. In this case, authorities labeled the suspected medication as a deadly weapon in the charging description, a legal term that can be used when an object or substance is alleged to have caused serious harm. Prosecutors sometimes use that language when a substance is claimed to have been used in a way that could cause serious injury or death, though the final determination is made in court.
The investigation has moved alongside Texas’ broader legal and political fight over abortion access, but local officials have framed this case as an alleged act of abuse against a pregnant woman rather than a dispute over a medical decision. Doolittle said investigators and prosecutors worked closely because the case involved the reported loss of a pregnancy and because the allegation involved an intimate partner acting without consent.
Even so, key questions remain unanswered in public records so far. Authorities have not said what the woman’s doctors observed when she arrived at the hospital, whether tests confirmed the medication, or how investigators concluded the drug was administered covertly. They also have not described the timeline from the alleged administration to the onset of symptoms, which can be important in cases involving medication used to end pregnancies.
Officials said the district attorney’s office is continuing to review evidence, and the sheriff’s office has warned that the charge could be enhanced. In some investigations involving a pregnancy loss, additional charges can depend on medical findings, evidence of intent, or whether prosecutors believe a different offense better fits the alleged conduct. Authorities have not said which potential enhancements are being considered, and they have not provided a timeline for a possible grand jury presentation.
Demeter was expected to have a bail review hearing on Wed., Feb. 25, according to ABC13. The sheriff’s office has said he remains in custody without bond. Court records and hearing outcomes were not described in the initial public statements and news reports, and it was not immediately clear what restrictions a judge might impose if bond were later set.
In the days after the arrest, the case spread quickly on local television and social media in the Houston area, with some posts focusing on the domestic-violence allegation and others focusing on the abortion medication referenced by investigators. The sheriff’s office described the investigation as sensitive and said it was working closely with crime scene investigators and the medical examiner as the case moved forward.
Friends and relatives of the woman have not been publicly identified, and officials have not described whether she has provided additional statements beyond her initial report at the hospital. Authorities also have not said whether the alleged drugging occurred in Montgomery County or elsewhere, though the investigation has been led by Montgomery County agencies and began at a hospital in The Woodlands.
The baby’s name, Presley Mae, has become a central detail in official statements and news coverage, reflecting the mother’s decision to identify and mourn the child publicly through investigators. Doolittle offered condolences to the mother and her family and praised detectives and prosecutors for what he called difficult work on a case involving pregnancy loss and allegations of coercion.
As of Thu., Feb. 26, Demeter remained jailed in Montgomery County as investigators continued to process evidence and prosecutors weighed whether to pursue additional charges. Authorities have said the next major step will come through court hearings and charging decisions as the investigation is completed.
Author note: Last updated February 26, 2026.