Melissa Drexler grew up as an only child in a middle-class Catholic family in Forked River, New Jersey. Her upbringing appeared ordinary, marked by a quiet personality and an interest in fashion. Drexler attended Lacey Township High School in Lanoka Harbor and was described by those who knew her as a well-behaved teenager who rarely got into trouble. She had ambitions of becoming a fashion designer and was preparing to graduate with her classmates in 1997.

While friends and family recalled her as reserved, there was nothing in her background that hinted at violence. She dated John Lewis, who was likely the father of the child, but she hid her pregnancy from him, her parents, and even her closest friends. At about 5’7” tall and weighing around 130 pounds, Drexler appeared to carry the pregnancy without showing any obvious signs. In retrospect, some classmates noted she had worn loose clothing in her final weeks of school, but nobody suspected she was about to give birth.

Leading up to her prom night, Drexler maintained her usual routines and social plans. Nothing seemed unusual to those around her. The prom, held on June 6, 1997, was supposed to be a celebration marking the end of high school and the start of adulthood.

On the evening of June 6, 1997, Melissa Drexler arrived at her senior prom with her boyfriend and friends. During the event, she began experiencing severe stomach cramps. She excused herself and went to the bathroom, telling her friends she needed a moment. Once inside a restroom stall, Drexler went into labor. Over the next twenty minutes, she delivered a full-term baby boy into the toilet bowl.

Reports later stated that she severed the umbilical cord on the serrated edge of a sanitary napkin dispenser. She then placed the newborn in a plastic trash bag, suffocating him. When a friend knocked on the stall door to ask if she was okay, Drexler calmly replied, “I’ll be done pretty soon. Go tell the boys we’ll be right out.” Moments later, she disposed of the baby’s body in a bathroom trash can, cleaned herself, and returned to the dance floor.

Classmates later described her sitting down to eat a salad and dancing with her boyfriend as though nothing had happened. Meanwhile, school staff discovered the bathroom covered in blood. When questioned, Drexler insisted she was just having a heavy period. Suspicion mounted when a nurse found the trash bag unusually heavy. The janitor opened the bag and discovered the newborn’s body, prompting an immediate police investigation.

Drexler was arrested soon after and charged with murder. In August 1998, as part of a plea agreement, she pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter. Prosecutors believed she wanted to avoid the shame of her pregnancy becoming public, which led to the fatal decision. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

After serving only three years and one month, Drexler was released on parole in November 2001. Her early release sparked significant debate about sentencing, postpartum mental health, and the stigma surrounding teenage pregnancy. The case, widely covered in the media, cemented her notoriety as “The Prom Mom.”