--- title: Police Arrest Suspect for Rape of 13-Year-Old Unable to Get Abortion description: Police in Clarksdale, Miss., have arrested a suspect in the alleged rape. canonical: https://time.com/6311507/13-year-old-mom-police-arrest-rape-suspect/ author: Charlotte Alter article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-09-07T20:30:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:03:33.726Z article:section: Politics og:title: Police Arrest Suspect for Rape of 13-Year-Old Unable to Get Abortion og:description: Police in Clarksdale, Miss., have arrested a suspect in the alleged rape of Ashley og:url: https://time.com/6311507/13-year-old-mom-police-arrest-rape-suspect/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24fa723de4709f63/698a402616d8844b9dc3c306/teen-mom-mississippi-arrest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: teen-mom-mississippi-arrest og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Police Arrest Suspect for Rape of 13-Year-Old Unable to Get Abortion twitter:description: Police in Clarksdale, Miss., have arrested a suspect in the alleged rape of Ashley twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24fa723de4709f63/698a402616d8844b9dc3c306/teen-mom-mississippi-arrest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Police Arrest Suspect for Rape of 13-Year-Old Who Was Unable to Get an Abortion > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=434ab54b-263d-470d-9ac9-23dcb1087f84&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: New CDC Director Mandy Cohen on Abortion, COVID-19, and More [Watch (HLS stream): New CDC Director Mandy Cohen on Abortion, COVID-19, and More](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HNgVhsur.m3u8) (8:31)  _Published 2023-08-21. New CDC Director Mandy Cohen talks about abortion, COVID-19, public mistrust in the federal agency, and more._  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Sep 7, 2023 8:30 PM UTC  Ashley, a 13-year old who recently delivered a baby after she was unable to travel out of state for an abortion, in Clarksdale, Miss., on Aug. 1, 2023. Ashley, a 13-year old who recently delivered a baby after she was unable to travel out of state for an abortion, in Clarksdale, Miss., on Aug. 1, 2023. Lucy Garrett for TIME  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Sep 7, 2023 8:30 PM UTC Police in Clarksdale, Miss., have arrested a suspect in the alleged rape of Ashley, a [13-year-old who recently delivered a baby](https://time.com/6303701/a-rape-in-mississippi/) after she was unable to travel out of state for an abortion. Ashley's mother, Regina, told TIME in a text message Sept. 5 that police informed her a suspect had been arrested in the case. (Ashley and Regina are pseudonyms to protect the privacy of a juvenile rape survivor.) The Clarksdale police department sent TIME a press release stating that a 16-year-old male had been arrested and charged with rape on Sept. 5, and a spokesperson subsequently confirmed that the arrest was tied to Ashley's case. Regina told TIME that police said the suspect had been identified using DNA evidence. She also said the suspect was the same person she had flagged to the detective in charge of the case in February, after a family member located him on social media and Ashley identified him as the alleged rapist. "We have found the boy," Regina texted the detective on Feb. 11, attaching a social-media photo showing the alleged suspect on their street, with a neighbor's house visible in the background, according to screenshots TIME viewed. **Read More:** [_She Wasn't Able to Get An Abortion. Now She's a Mom. Soon, She'll Start 7th Grade_](https://time.com/6303701/a-rape-in-mississippi/). When the DNA results came back on August 30, Regina says, police told her that the results matched Ashley's identification. Clarksdale police have repeatedly declined to comment on the specifics of the case to TIME, and would not confirm whether the arrested suspect is the same person the family originally identified to police. The police press release does not name the suspect; the department does not release names of juvenile defendants. It states the suspect will appear before a judge in Coahoma County Circuit Court, but does not say when. Reached for comment, the Circuit Court asked TIME to contact the Clarksdale police. The District Attorney was not available for comment. It was not immediately clear whether the suspect had obtained a lawyer. Ashley discovered she was pregnant in January, according to Ashley's doctor and Regina. It was then that Ashley told her mother that she had been raped by a stranger outside her home in Oct. 2022, shortly before her 13th birthday. Ashley had told Regina that she had never met her rapist, and that he was an adult, Regina says. "I asked her, ‘Was he a grown-up?’ and she said, ‘Yeah, he looked like a grownup in his face,'" Regina recalls. Ashley described him to her mother as "tall, and his face looked grown," Regina says. Ashley also told Regina that her the alleged attacker was driving a car. In Mississippi, drivers as young as 15 can get a learner’s permit. ### More From TIME After filing the police report in January, Regina says she was told police needed DNA evidence to advance the investigation, and could not obtain that evidence until Ashley's baby was born. Ashley's son Peanut—TIME is using a nickname to preserve the family's privacy—was born on July 30\. Clarksdale police did not pick up a DNA sample from the hospital until three days after Peanut was born, and only after repeated requests from TIME. On Aug. 30, Ashley was summoned to the police department for questioning, this time by former Clarksdale Police Chief Sandra Johnson, who told the family she was working as a consultant on the case. "The lady said, ‘I’m gonna ask you this one question and this question is going to hit,'" says Regina, who was present. "She said, ‘Did you know the person who did it?' Ashley said no," Regina recalls. "She was trying to make sure Ashley wasn’t lying about them messing around." (Johnson did not respond to requests for comment.) Ashley has been a mother for about a month now. Regina stayed home to help her for about two weeks, but now she's back at work. Ashley says the hardest part of motherhood so far is "being up at nighttime," because the baby "eats a lot." Regina says the family has been struggling to explain the new baby's arrival, encountering whispers from the neighbors and gossip from relatives. Ashley is planning to start seventh grade in October; a relative will watch Peanut while she is at school. After TIME published Ashley's story, Regina started a [GoFundMe ](https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ashley-the-time-article)that has raised nearly $70,000 from donors to help the family raise Peanut, relocate closer to family, and give Ashley a fresh start. ## Transcript [00:00] Data is the oxygen that powers our ability to respond to threats [00:04] and so if we don't have access to that data we are not as [00:08] strong enough asset to respond to threats. [00:10] So we definitely do need more work to do. [00:14] Both the build the pipes on connecting all these different [00:18] data sources but also to have the authority to say you we need [00:21] to we need to do this in order to protect our country and to [00:24] have a national security asset that can respond to those threats. [00:41] One of the issues I think that people are grappling with right [00:45] now and the agency isn't mistrust in science in general. [00:49] But I think in the CDC in particular, [00:51] I'd love to get your perspective on that perspective. [00:54] Both coming from the outside as Secretariat in North Carolina [00:58] and now that your director how you how you plan to address [01:02] that will first, I think trust is absolutely foundational. [01:06] I think change happens at the pace of trust it. [01:10] So it it underlies, everything that we do and I will say, [01:12] as Health and Human Services, secretary for North Carolina. [01:15] We called out and named trust as Central to how we responded [01:21] to the covid crisis. [01:22] We thought about it every day and we measured it importantly. [01:25] And what we saw over the course of leading through that crisis, [01:29] we saw trust actually increase in the department that Iran which [01:34] was different than what we were seeing and some other parts [01:36] of the country. [01:36] And I think We were able to build trust, [01:40] cuz we focused on three things. [01:41] One, we focus on really building relationships to, [01:45] we were incredibly transparent. [01:47] We use Simple communication. [01:49] We did 170 press conferences. [01:51] I think an 18 months. [01:52] So we were answering questions all the time because we were [01:55] learning new things and then third, we made sure that folks [01:58] were knowing that we were performing every day for them, [02:01] that we were delivering, the vaccines were the tests that they [02:04] needed to protect themselves. [02:06] So we focus on those three aspects. [02:08] We talked about it and we measured it. [02:10] So I think we, we did a great job in North Carolina. I'm [02:13] hoping to bring those that work in those lessons at 2 to the [02:16] work here at CTC. [02:22] How concerned are you about the increasing hospitalizations [02:26] from covid? Be cuz you know since we're not tracking cases, [02:29] so much anymore. [02:30] Opposition's is like a good litmus test for, [02:33] you know, like severe case there are people getting sick or from [02:35] from their infections. [02:37] How concerned are you about that? [02:38] Trend. So we are seeing hospitalizations go up for here in August [02:42] of 2023. And it's reminding us that we are living with code. That's [02:46] right. It is not gone. [02:48] And that means we need to continue to Avail ourselves of the [02:51] tools that protect us. [02:53] Vaccines testing and treatment. [02:55] Luckily, we have more tools than ever before going into these [02:59] next season and we're going to have a new booster that comes [03:03] out in the middle of September. [03:04] So we have the tools, we just need to use them but I'd say [03:07] about the current level, I'm not concerned right now but you [03:11] know, we're going to continue to watch that. [03:13] If you saw the highest number of hospitalizations [03:15] we had last year is about 45,000 for about ten thousand [03:20] right now. So we're much lower than we were. [03:22] The peak last year but we have to keep Vigilant than making [03:26] sure that were using the tool to protect ourselves. [03:28] If you're going to hear us talk a lot about vaccines testing [03:32] and treatment, that things are safe and effective. [03:34] If we have great test, that can rapidly identify what you have [03:37] and then treatment that works, but you have to use it right [03:39] away. [03:43] Can we look at some of the big health issues especially [03:45] in the past year that, you know, [03:47] the country is facing? [03:48] I think women's reproductive Health has been really a Hot Topic [03:52] with some of the restrictions that have been placed on choices [03:55] that women have regarding contraception and abortion. [03:57] What role does the CDC has in ensuring that we would continue [04:03] to have access to as many healthy and, [04:06] you know, evidence-based choices as possible. [04:09] The mission of the CDC is to protect and improve health. [04:13] And in order to be able to do that, [04:15] we need to make sure that folks have access to the tools that [04:19] can keep them healthy at all moments of their life, [04:22] whether they're thinking about becoming pregnant during their [04:25] pregnancy. Or even after when they're young mom and we have a [04:29] lot of data and best practices and evidence that we can bring [04:33] to bear to show that when we work with Mom, [04:35] so that they are getting pregnant when they are ready and want [04:38] to meeting that they have access to contraception. [04:41] So they're not getting pregnant if it's not. [04:43] Right time for them and their family. [04:44] That means babies have better outcomes as do Mom. [04:47] And just this week, we've seen another blow in in the form of [04:51] the the appeals court decisions, you know, [04:53] backing the Texas judge's ruling on Meet the Press Stone. [04:57] It remains available, but this is going to be debated in the [05:01] court. How much of an impediment is that this is something [05:04] that there is good science behind and yet we're looking, [05:09] you know, to a whole different system. [05:11] The legal system to kind of decide whether women can have access [05:14] to it or not as a as a physician and as a public health [05:18] leader, how does that strike you? [05:21] So disappointed that we are here and that we are having the conversation [05:27] to revisit whether or not women should have access to health [05:31] care when they need it. [05:32] I will say as both a mom of two daughters a physician and now [05:37] the director of the CDC know I'm going to continue to make sure [05:40] that we are working to make sure women has access to Care when [05:43] they need it, that they have medical treatment when they need [05:46] and that's all parts of their life. [05:49] The issues. I think that has impart led to the mistress [05:52] in the skepticism of the agency in science and journal was the [05:55] politicization of Health. [05:57] It became a political rather than a scientific issue. [06:01] You know, based on strong scientific evidence. [06:04] As secretary North Carolina, did you see some of that in your [06:08] own State? And as you saw it on the national level, [06:11] what concerns you had, and also how you plan to address that [06:15] now is director of CDC. [06:16] Well, I think it's always important for us to have good discourse [06:20] and good dialogue. [06:20] I think it's important when we're wrestling with heart issues [06:23] that we hear from different folks. [06:25] But what we want to make sure is that that dialogue is respectful. [06:28] I saw that in North Carolina, credibly good, [06:31] relationships across the aisle. [06:33] I worked for a Democratic governor but we had a super majority [06:35] of Republicans in our state legislature. [06:38] But we had good relationships and I think it's because we were [06:42] willing to answer questions that we were transparent, [06:44] folks knew that they could get me on the phone to answer questions [06:47] and I was happy to do. [06:48] It doesn't mean We always agreed on every issue, [06:50] but we were able to have that respectful dialogue as I get to [06:55] know members of Congress and in my new role. [06:57] And that's what I see as well as having building those relationships [07:00] being available to answer their questions and focusing on the [07:04] places where I see a lot of consensus. [07:06] And I do see consensus on making sure we have an asset for our [07:11] country, that is identifying threats and responding quickly [07:15] to them. So, if we haven't a new virus or a new chemical, [07:18] or what have you that, we are able to respond quickly. [07:21] So I see a lot of consensus around having that ass. [07:25] I also see a lot of consensus on addressing mental health. [07:29] We all know that mental health unfortunately has seen, [07:33] you know, a lot of challenges that happens in any crisis whether [07:36] it's a hurricane or a pandemic. [07:38] And so I feel a lot of consensus on coming together to think [07:42] about ways to address that. [07:43] I was just talking to a couple of members of Congress and how [07:46] do we work together and suicide, prevention, [07:47] for example. [07:49] In the third area consensus. I [07:51] really see it around young families thinking about, [07:54] how do we get Upstream from some of the issues? [07:57] We see John thring whether that's diabetes or mental health [08:00] issues in addiction. [08:02] There are ways proven ways with evidence that we know, [08:05] we can prevent we know that we are a stronger country if we are [08:09] healthy and what does it take to become that? [08:11] So those are the areas you're going to hear me focus on right? [08:14] Making sure we have that asset to respond to threats that we address [08:18] our mental health issues, and that we're also doing the prevention [08:21] to make us the healthiest country, we possibly can be ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6311507/13-year-old-mom-police-arrest-rape-suspect/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6311507/13-year-old-mom-police-arrest-rape-suspect/"},"headline":"Police Arrest Suspect for Rape of 13-Year-Old Who Was Unable to Get an Abortion","datePublished":"2023-09-07T20:30:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:03:33.726Z","description":"Police in Clarksdale, Miss., have arrested a suspect in the alleged rape","url":"https://time.com/6311507/13-year-old-mom-police-arrest-rape-suspect/","keywords":["abortion","Exclusive","uspoliticspolicy"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24fa723de4709f63/698a402616d8844b9dc3c306/teen-mom-mississippi-arrest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Charlotte Alter","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24fa723de4709f63/698a402616d8844b9dc3c306/teen-mom-mississippi-arrest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"teen-mom-mississippi-arrest","caption":"Ashley, a 13-year old who recently delivered a baby after she was unable to travel out of state for an abortion, in Clarksdale, Miss., on Aug. 1, 2023.","creditText":"Lucy Garrett for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/abortion/","name":"abortion"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6311507/13-year-old-mom-police-arrest-rape-suspect/","name":"Police Arrest Suspect for Rape of 13-Year-Old Who Was Unable to Get an Abortion"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"New CDC Director Mandy Cohen on Abortion, COVID-19, and More","description":"New CDC Director Mandy Cohen talks about abortion, COVID-19, public mistrust in the federal agency, and more.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/HNgVhsur/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-08-21T21:07:16.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HNgVhsur.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/6311507/13-year-old-mom-police-arrest-rape-suspect/","duration":"PT8M31S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/6311507/13-year-old-mom-police-arrest-rape-suspect/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```