Gary Man Charged After Fetus Dies in Domestic Battery Incident
GARY — A 26-year-old Gary man is facing multiple felony charges after authorities say a woman lost her pregnancy following a violent domestic assault in the presence of four young children.
According to court documents, the incident occurred on July 29, 2025, at a residence in the 1000 block of Van Buren Street in Gary, Lake County, Indiana. Officers were dispatched for a report of a domestic battery that reportedly resulted in the death of a four-month-old fetus.
The woman reported that she was at the residence with her four children and her boyfriend, identified as Cortez C. Morehead, 26, when they got into an argument in the living room. She said she went to the bedroom, and when she refused to leave, he threatened to punch her in the face. She told him she had called the police, and he took her keys and Kia Rio without her permission and left. Officers arrived but could not locate him.
The woman reported that he returned, began knocking things over, and charged at her. When she said she had called police, he began to repeatedly punch her in the face and stomach, then dragged her by the hair toward the front door. She ran outside for help, but he followed and continued to punch her before dragging her back inside and continuing to punch and kick her. She escaped and ran upstairs to a neighbor. She said that while he was hitting and kicking her, she was afraid for her life.
She was observed to have a section of hair missing from the top of her head, a swollen left eye, and abrasions to her hip and back. A physician later reported that she had delivered a deceased child as a result of the injuries she received.
Surveillance video from a neighbor’s Ring doorbell showed her running up the stairs and screaming for help, with her four children awake and following her.
Morehead fled before police arrived. When officers later spotted the stolen vehicle back at the residence, they attempted to make contact, but he ran. He was later found hiding in a small room off the rear door of the complex, in a hole in the floor. He was in possession of the woman’s phone and keys at the time of his arrest.
During a recorded interview, Morehead stated that he lives with the woman and her four children, whom he treats as his own. He said she was four to five months pregnant with his child, attended prenatal appointments, and was beginning to show. He stated he had heard the fetus’ heartbeat.
He admitted to a prior incident of battery against the woman, saying, “That one I was wrong for. I did that.” Regarding the current incident, he claimed he was going outside to listen to music in her car around midnight, and that she hit him in the head and he pushed her to the ground. He admitted hearing her tell him not to take her car, but took it anyway. He returned to the house, saw police, and ran. He later claimed he had only struck her with an open palm, which he called “muffing,” and denied kicking or dragging her. He claimed “she is crazy” and would do that to herself.
He confirmed no other adults were present and that the children would not have been able to cause her injuries. A records check revealed a prior domestic battery arrest in 2017 and an active warrant for a pending domestic battery case involving the same woman. He also had prior felony convictions for escape and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in 2017 from Cook County, Illinois.
Charges were filed on July 30, 2025:
• Feticide – Level 3 Felony
• Aggravated Battery Resulting in the Loss of a Fetus – Level 3 Felony
• Criminal Confinement Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury – Level 3 Felony
• Domestic Battery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury – Level 5 Felony
• Domestic Battery Committed in the Presence of a Child Less Than 16 – Level 6 Felony
• Intimidation (Threat to Commit a Forcible Felony) – Level 6 Felony
• Auto Theft – Theft of Entire Motor Vehicle – Level 6 Felony
• Resisting Law Enforcement (Fleeing on Foot) – Class A Misdemeanor
Cortez C. Morehead was lodged in the Lake County Jail.
