Three Bellingham residents have been arrested in connection to the alleged drugging of a woman in an attempt to induce an abortion without her knowledge.
An investigation began Oct. 20, when a woman reported to the Bellingham Police Department that her former fiancé, 32-year-old Jean Brando Zintz, intentionally drugged her and gave her medication to terminate her pregnancy while she was sleeping.
Zintz initially reacted negatively when he learned the woman was pregnant in March, according to court records. His mother offered her $10,000 to get an abortion, and Zintz encouraged the woman to accept it. She declined, and reported that Zintz’s attitude toward the pregnancy then appeared to change.
Early on in the pregnancy, the woman experienced significant medical complications, court records show. She had prolonged bleeding, a subchronic hemorrhage and severely low blood pressure. At some points, she was so “out of it” that she couldn’t walk.
The woman also told police that she repeatedly woke up with a white, chalky substance in her mouth.
Court records show that in early October, Zintz’s brother contacted the woman on Facebook Messenger. He told her that Zintz “poisoned (her) baby” and drugged her by replacing her prenatal vitamins with pills to induce an abortion. He said that Zintz would give her benzodiazepine and then put the other medication under her tongue.
He explained to the woman that the plan ultimately failed because Zintz only successfully gave her the first of a series of two pills — mifepristone and misoprostol — that terminate a pregnancy when both are taken. He said the pills were acquired by his girlfriend, who was paid by Zintz.
“Just know the truth,” court records show the man wrote. “He tried killing your baby, and in the end your (sic) lucky because he failed and was planning something else entirely once and for all to get rid of you ‘the problem’ before it was to (sic) late and destroyed his life for good.”
Zintz’ brother and his girlfriend, both 30, have since been arrested on suspicion of complicity to attempted first-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault and placing poison or other harmful objects or substances in food, drink, medicine or water. They remain in custody awaiting formal charges.
The woman stopped communicating with Zintz in July, and her health has since improved.
Police searched Zintz’s apartment Oct. 29 and found multiple drug-cutting agents, labeled containers for choline supplements found to contain multiple pills, packaged and labeled misoprostol tablets, sleep aids, drug paraphernalia and lab equipment including laboratory glass wear and magnetic mixer.
Zintz was charged with first-degree manslaughter, two counts of second-degree assault and protection order violation assault, as there are two active domestic violence no-contact orders between him and the woman.
A multi-agency task force, including the U.S. Marshals Service, arrested Zintz in Mesa, Arizona on Sunday. He is awaiting extradition to Whatcom County.
