She Spent More Than 2 Years in Prison After a Miscarriage — Now She’s Won $1.6 Million

Patience Rousseau’s life changed dramatically after a pregnancy loss in Nevada. Years later, her case has reached a major turning point, with a $1.6 million settlement and the return of something she had been separated from for far too long: the ashes of her baby boy.

Rousseau, now 34, experienced a miscarriage in 2018 while living in Winnemucca, Nevada. She named her stillborn son Abel. What followed was a criminal case that would separate her from her family and eventually send her to prison.

A miscarriage led to a criminal conviction

Authorities accused Rousseau of using drugs to end her pregnancy. She was prosecuted under a little-known Nevada law dating back to 1911 that criminalized using drugs to terminate a pregnancy after 24 weeks.

In 2019, Rousseau pleaded guilty to manslaughter and began serving her sentence. She spent more than two years behind bars before her conviction was overturned in 2021 because she had received ineffective legal assistance.

Her lawyers challenged the prosecution’s case, arguing that authorities had not established that her drug use caused the miscarriage or that she had used drugs with the intention of ending the pregnancy.

The charges were ultimately dismissed in 2025.

A $1.6 million settlement

Humboldt County has now agreed to a $1.6 million settlement resolving Rousseau’s claims over the case. Her legal team argued that authorities violated her constitutional rights and caused severe emotional distress.

The settlement does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing by the county.

Rousseau is expected to receive approximately $1.2 million, with the remainder allocated to legal fees and other payments. She has said she hopes to use the money to help secure her family’s future, pay for her home and open a business.

But the financial settlement cannot erase the years she spent dealing with the case or the impact it had on her children.

The return of her son’s ashes

One of the most emotional parts of the settlement was the return of Abel’s ashes.

According to reporting by The Nevada Independent, the remains had ended up in the possession of a sheriff’s deputy involved in Rousseau’s arrest. Rousseau said she learned about this through earlier media coverage.

The ashes were eventually returned to her as part of the settlement.

For Rousseau, that reunion carried a meaning beyond money. After years of legal battles and personal hardship, she was finally able to reclaim the remains of the child she had lost.

Her case has also renewed attention on how pregnancy loss is investigated and how older laws can affect people facing complicated and deeply personal circumstances.

The settlement closes an important chapter in Rousseau’s legal fight, but she says the emotional consequences of what happened will not simply disappear.

Sources:

PEOPLE

The Nevada Independent