(NEW YORK) — A Nebraska mother and teenage daughter are facing criminal charges after the teen allegedly got an illegal abortion and police say the two buried the fetus.

While the abortion allegedly occurred before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a constitutional right to abortion, a state law on the books since 2010 bans abortions in Nebraska at 20 weeks.

Norfolk police opened an investigation into then 17-year-old Celeste Burgess on April 26, investigating concerns she had given birth prematurely to a stillborn child, according to an affidavit submitted by the Norfolk Police Investigations Unit that was obtained by ABC News.

According to police, Celeste Burgess received help from her mother Jessica Burgess, 41, in taking abortion pills to end the pregnancy and the two allegedly buried and reburied the fetus together three times at different locations.

Celeste Burgess, now 18 and who is being tried as an adult, is facing three charges of felony burying and reburying the fetus unlawfully, and misdemeanor concealing the death of another person and lying to police, according to court records. She pleaded not guilty to the charges, court records show.

Jessica Burgess is facing five charges of felony burying and reburying the fetus unlawfully, inducing an abortion and performing an abortion without being a licensed physician and misdemeanor concealing the death of another person and lying to police, court records show. She pleaded not guilty to the charges, court records show.

Attorneys listed for both defendants did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.

Two of the felony charges against the mother were brought after investigators were able to obtain records of messages between the mother and daughter on Facebook, according to court records.

Medical records obtained by police showed that Celeste Burgess was estimated to be 23 weeks and 2 days at the time of the alleged abortion. Her due date was July 3, according to the affidavit.

In an interview with police, the mother and daughter allegedly said that Celeste Burgess unexpectedly gave birth at home in a bathtub/shower, and said the fetus was stillborn, according to the affidavit.

Celeste Burgess then placed the body of the fetus into a bag, and then placed the bag into a box in the back of a cargo van on their property. The two then took the body of the fetus and transported it to a property north of Norfolk where they buried it, according to the affidavit.

The two voluntarily took police to the scene on April 29 and showed McBride where the body was buried. According to Tanner Barnhill, who helped the two bury the body, the mother and daughter attempted to burn the body of the fetus before it was buried, the affidavit said.

Barnhill, 22, has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor in connection with the case and will be sentenced later this month, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.

During her interview with police, Celeste Burgess showed police a Facebook message that indicated the birth occurred on April 22, which investigators used in part to get a search warrant ordering Facebook’s parent company Meta to turn over messages between the mother and daughter.

According to court filings which show messages between the two on April 20, they discuss “starting it today.” In one message, Jessica Burgess tells Celeste Burgess that one pill stops the hormones then you have to wait 24 hours to take the other. Celeste Burgess said, “Remember we burn the evidence,” in a subsequent message.

A friend of Celeste Burgess also notified police on June 14 that she was with her when she took the first of the two abortion pills meant to cause a miscarriage.

According to court records, an autopsy was conducted of the fetus and an exact cause of death was not determined, but the lungs did not indicate they had ever contained air. Court records also show the fetus had “thermal wounds.”

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, said in a statement Tuesday the company was unaware that the search warrant was for a case involving abortion.

“Court documents indicate that police were at that time investigating the alleged illegal burning and burial of a stillborn infant,” the company said. “The warrants were accompanied by non-disclosure orders, which prevented us from sharing information about them.”

In a letter to the governor, 30 Nebraska state senators are proposing a special session to pass an abortion ban at 12 weeks, but they do not have the support from 33 state legislators needed to do so, according to the governor.

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(UVALDE, Texas) — In the wake of a mass shooting that killed 21 in its hometown of Uvalde, Texas, a prominent local paper announced it would be happy for the day when the nation’s media spotlight would shine anywhere else.

But this week, the Uvalde Leader-News highlighted the “different concept” underway by ABC News in the aftermath of the May 24 massacre that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. It is an initiative called “Uvalde:365” and is being led by the ABC News Investigative Unit.

“The usual trajectory for mass shooting coverage involved an invasion by the national media, followed by a hasty retreat,” the newspaper reported. “ABC News has a different concept for Uvalde.”

As part of the ABC News commitment, the network will feature Uvalde coverage on all programs and platforms, including Good Morning America and World News Tonight, as well as Nightline, 20/20, “ABC News Live,” ABC Audio, and ABCNews.go.com.

Reports will feature John Quiñones, Mireya Villarreal and María Elena Salinas, among others, who have already spent considerable time on the ground in Uvalde. As part of the initiative, ABC has also opened a satellite news bureau that will host a rotating crew of correspondents, producers, writers and technical staff.

“By becoming a permanent presence, instead of moving on after a few days or weeks, ABC News journalists will learn who we are, our concerns and joys, why we chose this community to raise our families and how we learn to trust it again,” said Craig Garnett, owner and publisher of the Uvalde Leader-News since 1989.

“And if they listen closely, families of the 21 victims will share their grief and their halting progress in learning to cope — and perhaps one day laugh again,” Garnett added.

Locally owned and independent, the Uvalde Leader-News has operated under various names since 1879. The paper’s headquarters in the center of Uvalde features a Texas historical marker, recognizing its anchoring presence in the community.

Following the Robb Elementary shooting, the paper’s front page was printed all black and absent of text except for “May 24, 2022” in large white letters. It has spent the last two-and-a-half months reporting on the aftermath of the massacre: the funerals, the burials, the shattered dreams and the anger that has erupted as details of the bungled police response became clear.

ABC reporters and producers on the ground plan to document the lives of victims’ families; cover local community events; follow city council, school board and Texas Legislature meetings; and attend congressional hearings in Washington, D.C., where victims’ families have been advocating for gun reform.

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(NEW YORK) — Emmett Till’s cousin and advocates for justice in the decades-old case expressed disappointment in a grand jury’s decision not to indict the woman who accused Till of making advances at her before the 14-year-old was kidnapped and murdered.

A grand jury in Leflore County, Mississippi, determined there was insufficient evidence to indict Carolyn Bryant Donham, 88, on charges of kidnapping and manslaughter, Dewayne Richardson, the country’s district attorney, said.

Bryant Donham’s statement allegedly led to Till’s kidnapping and murder in August 1955 at the hands of her husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam. The two men were acquitted of murder charges by an all-white jury weeks after Till’s mutilated body was found in the Tallahatchie River. Bryant Donham was never arrested.

For Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr., Till’s cousin and the last living witness to his abduction, the decision marks a difficult, though anticipated outcome to Mississippi officials’ promise to “leave no stone unturned” in the 67-year fight for justice for his best friend, he said in a statement.

“This outcome is unfortunate, but predictable, news,” Parker said. “The prosecutor tried his best, and we appreciate his efforts, but he alone cannot undo hundreds of years of anti-Black systems that guaranteed those who killed Emmett Till would go unpunished, to this day.”

Keith Beauchamp, the director of the documentary The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till and writer of upcoming film Till, told ABC News on Wednesday the grand jury decision is “a huge blow” for racial reconciliation in the United States.

“I respect, of course, the grand jury’s decision, but it does not mean that I have to agree with it. When I think of what has just happened as a Black person, as Black people who are constant victims of the judicial system of America, it’s a huge blow. I feel that it’s a huge blow to our humanity,” he said.

Beauchamp had expressed hope for a different outcome after an original warrant for Bryant Donham’s arrest was found in a Leflore County courthouse in June.

“Although we have not received what many, I believe, would want…I have some solace knowing that Carolyn Bryant won’t be riding away in the sunset without looking over her shoulder,” he said. “It is important that we hold people accountable for their actions if we truly want to see change in this country when it comes to civil and human rights.”

The U.S. Justice Department reopened an investigation into Till’s murder in 2018 but was unable to uncover sufficient evidence for a federal prosecution of Bryant Donham.

While the decision resurrects the question of whether Bryant Donham will ever face charges for the kidnapping and killing of Till, Beauchamp says he will continue to search for new evidence to see the case brought to court again.

“Cold cases always heat up,” he said, adding that he hopes raising awareness will bring new information and closure to Till’s family.

“No family should ever have to endure this pain for this long,” Parker said. “Going forward, we must keep the details, and memory, of the brutal murder of Emmett Till, and the courage of Mamie Mobley, alive, so that we can reduce racial violence, improve our system of justice, and treat each other with the dignity and respect with which Mrs. Mobley graced us all.”

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(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) — An 8-year-old boy left paralyzed in the mass shooting at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, plans to return to school in the fall with his twin brother.

The family of Cooper Roberts shared in an update Tuesday that the boy is expected to start third grade at Braeside Elementary School in Highland Park with his brother, Luke, in six to 12 weeks.

Cooper is currently in daily physical and occupational therapy at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago.

“This is a huge motivation for Cooper as he is excited to return to the classroom and see his friends,” a spokesperson for the Roberts family said in a statement. “He will likely return to classes for half-days and continue to participate in long-term outpatient physical and occupational therapy at AbiiltyLab for the part of the day.”

Cooper was attending his town’s Fourth of July parade with Luke and their parents Jason and Keely Roberts when the shooting occurred. The suspected gunman, Robert “Bobby” Crimo III, allegedly climbed onto the roof of a business and used a high-powered rifle to unleash more than 70 rounds on marchers and revelers, according to police.

The attack left seven people dead and at least 38 people injured.

During the shooting, a bullet went into Cooper’s back and exited through his chest, “which did significant damage throughout his body, including to his aorta, liver, esophagus and spinal cord,” Keely Roberts said in a statement last month.

Keely Roberts, a local school superintendent, was shot in two parts of her leg and needs ongoing orthopedic treatment.

Cooper’s twin, Luke, was hit by shrapnel. The family said the twin brothers are receiving mental health support in the wake of the shooting.

“Both Cooper and Luke are participating in private counseling and other mental health services to support their healing from the emotional and psychological trauma of the shooting,” the spokesperson said. “Cooper is experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, including flashbacks that are disrupting his sleep.”

Cooper is also still receiving medical care at University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, where doctors are continuing to monitor his healing from his multiple surgeries.

A GoFundMe created for the Roberts family has raised nearly $2 million.

According to the spokesperson, the family is currently planning for how to care for Cooper once he returns home.

“They must explore options for long-term housing for their large family as the Roberts’ 100-year-old home in Highland Park cannot be reconfigured to accommodate his rehabilitation needs for home-based therapies,” the spokesperson said, adding the family is “grateful for and humbled by the outpouring of prayers and support” they have received. “They also need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle to support their ability to transport Cooper daily once released from inpatient care.”

The Roberts family, which also includes four daughters ages 18 to 26, moved to Highland Park, a Chicago suburb, last year from a nearby town.

Earlier this month, the Roberts family shared the first photos of Cooper since the parade attack.

The photos showed him reuniting with their beloved family dog, George.

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