Convicted of murdering her baby, Gail Ritchey says she 'doesn't remember being pregnant'

Gail Ritchey, now serving a life sentence for the 1993 murder of her newborn, maintains she has no memory of being pregnant or giving birth. The case, and Ritchey's struggle to comprehend her past actions, is the subject of the documentary 'Baby Doe.'

Directed by Jessica Earnshaw and executive produced by Sarah Paulson, the film revisits the "Geauga County Baby Doe" case. The infant was found dead in a bag in a wooded area of Ohio in 1993. For decades, the baby's identity remained unknown until 2019 genetic analysis linked Ritchey to the crime, leading to her arrest.

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I don't remember anything from that period, as if I wasn't present.

Ritchey, who has three adult children with her husband Mark, reportedly had another child two years prior to the "Baby Doe" case, which also ended tragically without charges. During her interrogation, Ritchey stated she did not know she was pregnant when she gave birth. She recalled taking a pregnancy test that was positive but has no memory of buying it or her reaction to the result.

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I didn't intentionally hide the pregnancy. I wore the same clothes, ate the same food, I just continued my life.

"I don't remember anything from that period, as if I wasn't present," Ritchey said in the documentary. She added, "I didn't intentionally hide the pregnancy. I wore the same clothes, ate the same food, I just continued my life." Describing the day of the birth, she recounted going to work feeling unwell, going to the restroom, giving birth, and then taking a trash bag back to the same spot.

The documentary explores "unperceived pregnancy" or "pregnancy denial," a condition where women may not realize they are pregnant or may ignore it for extended periods. Forensic psychiatrist Cara Angelotta explained that in some cases, women may not perceive the infant as alive, especially during labor, leading to dissociative symptoms. Ritchey's defense team focused on the scientific aspect, arguing that it could not be proven the baby was born alive, as Ohio law does not recognize diminished capacity as a defense.

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I went to the toilet, gave birth to the baby, heard nothing, went to the kitchen, took a trash bag and went back.