An Iowa woman has been sentenced after being found guilty of trying to cause a pregnant woman to have a miscarriage by giving her lasagna laced with oxycodone.
Amber Dena Snow On Tuesday, May 26, she pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including one count of attempted abortion without consent, endangering a child, intent to deliver a controlled substance and four counts of conspiracy to commit non-coercion.
After entering his plea, Snow, 36, was sentenced to 10 years in state prison.
Snow pleaded guilty in connection with the incident that occurred in late December 2025, according to Law & Crime. The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office said he and his assistant gave the family a pan of lasagna, which was laced with oxycodone.
Deputies announced in January that they were investigating “a family-sized pan of lasagna suspected to be laced with a controlled substance.” Multiple agencies then stepped in and executed a number of search warrants, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators eventually determined that Snow and his friend “tied the lasagna” with the intention of causing a pregnant woman to miscarry after eating the food.
“During the investigation, it was determined that the delivery of the contaminated lasagna was intended to cause an abortion in the pregnancy of a woman in the family who received the lasagna,” the sheriff’s office said.
The law enforcement officers were finally identified Matthew Uthoff as Snow’s friend, and were arrested and brought in for questioning. They don’t have to talk to the authorities for long before they reveal their plan, according to the report.
The sheriff’s office used “electronic communication history and searches on the defendants’ accounts and phones before and after the lasagna was prepared and delivered” as key evidence when building the case.
Additionally, authorities said the pregnant victim had “no knowledge” that the drug was included in the lasagna and refused to eat the oxycodone-laced lasagna.
While it is not yet known why Snow wanted the victim to have an abortion, it appears that she shared custody of her child with family members of the intended victim, according to the Des Moines Register.
A Connecticut mother already accused of trying to poison her husband is now facing charges of perjury and tampering with evidence, Us Weekly has learned. Kristen Hogan, 33, is charged with perjury and tampering with evidence during a child custody dispute and a dispute between her father and her husband. Hogan was arrested on December 11 for the attempt […]
Snow’s child was reportedly present when the dirty lasagna was prepared, and was present when the food was delivered.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory tested the lasagna and found it was laced with oxycodone.
Using oxycodone while pregnant carries significant risks for both mother and baby, including the possibility of miscarriage, premature birth, poor baby development and severe birth defects, according to the National Institute of Health.
Uthoff, who is reported to be Snow’s husband, was arrested on these charges. Uthoff, 35, pleaded not guilty to the charges in April and is awaiting trial.
