Woman sentenced after lacing lasagna to cause miscarriage of pregnant woman
Topics: Crime, US News, Health, True Crime
Jen Thomas
Featured Image Credit: Winneshiek County/Sheriff
Topics: Crime, US News, Health, True Crime
Warning: This article contains references to miscarriage and pregnancy loss which some readers may find distressing
A woman has been sentenced to ten years in prison, after attempting to cause a pregnant family member to miscarry by lacing a lasagne she made for them.
Amber Snow, 36, was arrested on March 10 following the incident, which took place on December 28, 2025.
The mother and baby are both safe, and according to People, authorities would not confirm if the woman had eaten the contaminated lasagne, which could have caused the baby to arrive early.
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Snow, from Decorah, in Iowa, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including four counts of conspiracy to commit non-forcible felony, attempted non-consensual termination of pregnancy, child endangerment, and a controlled substance violation.
Judge Richard D. Stochl handed down the decade long sentence, and the motive for Snow's attempt was never shared.
Back in January, someone called the police to report that a 'family size pan of lasagna' was thought to have been tampered with.
Police found that Snow had 'tainted' the dish, and sent it for testing.
Experts from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory soon reported it had tested positive for oxycodone, a powerful opioid.
The Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) alleged that Snow, along with a co-defendant, Matthew Uthoff, 'intended to cause a miscarriage to a pregnancy of a woman in the family that received the lasagna,'
According to The Guardian, Snow and Uthoff are husband and wife, and Snow has a child she shared custody of with the victim's family.
The Des Moines Register said her minor child was present while Snow was preparing the lasagne and also while delivering it, and the child was aware of their plan and rejected it.
Uthoff is currently still awaiting trial for his accused role.
Police arrested Snow and Uthoff after examining digital communication between the pair where they discussed their intentions to cause the woman to miscarry.
Uthoff has pleaded not guilty, after being charged with delivering a controlled substance, child endangerment and intentionally terminating a human pregnancy without the knowledge and voluntary consent of the pregnant person, plus two counts each of administering a harmful substance to an adult and administering a harmful substance to a juvenile.
He is currently being held on a $100,000 cash bond.
It echoes a tragic case where paramedic Stephen Doohan, 33, was jailed for 10 years and six months for tricking a woman into having an abortion by giving her a pill without telling her.
His actions sadly resulted in his victim losing her baby.
If you need support and advice following a pregnancy loss, you can contact the Tommy’s team at [email protected]. You can also call them for free on 0800 014 7800, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.