Remee Lee should be finishing up her first trimester of pregnancy. Only, the 26-year-old old is no longer pregnant and instead of checking in with doctors, she is checking in with FBI agents who have accused her ex-boyfriend of swapping out her antibiotics with abortion pills.
John Andrew Weldon, 28, is now being held without bond on first-degree murder charges.
"I could have died and no one would have cared," said Remee in an exclusive interview with ABC Action News Wednesday.
Remee was six weeks and five days pregnant when doctors informed her that her baby died. Remee said her ex's father, who is an obstetrician based out of Lutz, confirmed she was pregnant. Remee and her attorney, Gil Sanchez, provided ABC Action News with sonogram pictures.
Also during that late March visit to Dr. Stephen Welden, Remee said her blood was drawn by Dr. Welden's wife, who is her ex's stepmother.
The following day, according to a civil lawsuit filed by Remee's attorney, her ex called and told her that blood test results showed she had a bacterial infection and needed to take Amoxicillin. Remee said her ex dropped off a pill bottle along with a care package to her on Good Friday.
Remee was told to take three pills a day until the bottle was empty, according to the lawsuit.
A picture provided to ABC Action News of the pill bottle showed it was labeled Amoxicillin, filled by Sunlake Pharmacy and prescribed by Dr. Stephen Welden.
"No," replied Remee when asked if Dr. Welden ever told her she had a bacterial infection.
She said she also never called Dr. Welden's office to confirm what her ex told her because she 'trusted the love of her life.'
According to a federal arrest affidavit, the bottle of pills contained Cytotec, an abortion pill.
Within hours of taking the first does, Remee recalls experiencing extreme cramping followed by bleeding.
"No," answered Remee when asked if she contacted Dr. Welden when she began experiencing these symptoms.
Looking back, she told ABC Action News she wishes she would have placed that call.
On Easter Sunday, Remee said she woke up in a pool of blood and immediately went to the hospital.
Doctors informed Remee her pregnancy ended. That's when she said she handed the pills over to the doctors who 'took one look at them' and knew they weren't antibiotics. Once doctors discovered the pills were abortives, according to federal documents, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office was called.
Authorities said in a recorded phone call, Remee's ex admitted to switching the antibiotics with Cytotec.
Remee said her ex apologized and then told her, 'Don't worry, we can make another one.'
According to federal investigators, a closer analysis of the pills revealed all identifiers had been scratched off them. Investigators believe Remee's ex not only scratched off the identifiers but put a fake label on the pill bottle and have charged him with tampering with interstate commerce.
Dr. Welden nor any of his staff members called Remee after her initial visit, Remee said.
"No apology. No concern for my health," she said.
Remee now wants to know if Dr. Welden was somehow involved in the pill switch.
The U.S. Attorney said Remee's ex stole his father's prescription pad and that Dr. Welden had nothing to do with what occurred.
However, Remee's attorney told ABC Action News Dr. Welden is culpable to some degree because he employed his son and should have kept his prescription pads in a safe place.
ABC Action News has tried repeatedly to speak with Dr. Welden. No one answered the door at his home or his office. In addition, our calls and emails for comment have no yet been returned.
