Two New Iberia men face kidnapping, feticide and domestic abuse counts after a Jeanerette police investigation.

JEANERETTE, La. — Two New Iberia men were arrested after police said a pregnant woman was kidnapped and thrown from a moving vehicle May 26 in a Jeanerette neighborhood, where residents helped her before officers arrived.

The case has drawn attention because of the victim’s pregnancy, the dating relationship police described between her and one suspect, and the number of serious charges filed after the evening report. Jeanerette police identified the men as Brett Michael Phillips, 34, and Chris Adam Phillips, 36. Both were taken into custody during the investigation and later transferred to the Iberia Parish Jail.

The response began at about 6:26 p.m., when police said residents called to report that a woman had been thrown from a moving vehicle in the area of Katherine Street. Officers arrived and found the woman with people from the neighborhood who had stopped to help. Police said the victim was able to give investigators information about those involved. The department said in a statement that officers learned during the first stage of the investigation that the woman was pregnant and that she was taken to a local hospital for treatment and evaluation.

Katherine Street became the first known scene in a case that police later described as both a kidnapping and a domestic abuse investigation. Police have not released the woman’s name, her age, the extent of her injuries or the status of her pregnancy. They also have not said where the alleged kidnapping began, how long the woman was inside the vehicle or who was driving when she was thrown from it. Those gaps leave the public account focused on what police say happened after residents saw her in the street and called for help.

Police said the woman and one of the suspects were involved in a dating relationship, but officials did not identify which man was in that relationship with her in the statements reported after the arrests. The department also did not explain the relationship between Brett Phillips and Chris Phillips. Both men share a last name, but police did not state whether they are relatives. Investigators said concerned citizens and evidence gathered in the case helped officers identify the suspects and locate them.

Brett Phillips was charged with domestic abuse battery of a pregnant victim, second-degree kidnapping, attempted first-degree feticide, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and driving without a license. Chris Phillips was charged with principal to second-degree kidnapping, principal to attempted first-degree feticide, principal to domestic abuse battery of a pregnant victim, failure to seek assistance and simple assault. Police described the charges as accusations, and court records or later hearings would determine how prosecutors move forward.

The charges show that investigators are treating the incident as more than a roadside assault. Under Louisiana law, second-degree kidnapping can involve the forcible carrying of a person from one place to another when the person is injured, used to help commit a felony or held under other listed circumstances. A feticide count concerns alleged harm involving an unborn child. The attempted charge filed in this case means police allege conduct tied to that offense, but authorities have not released medical details about the pregnancy or the alleged intent behind the act. Local reports said both men are from New Iberia, which is in Iberia Parish and sits near Jeanerette in south Louisiana. Jeanerette is a small city about 120 miles west of New Orleans. In this case, the local geography matters because police said the suspects were found during the investigation after a neighborhood report on Katherine Street. The public statements do not say whether the vehicle stayed in Jeanerette, whether it had traveled from New Iberia or whether other agencies assisted with the search.

The police account gives residents a central role in the early response. Officers said the woman had been assisted by people nearby when they reached the area. The department also credited citizens with helping officers track down the suspects. Police did not release names of those residents or describe what they saw beyond the report that a woman had been thrown from a moving vehicle. No public statement said whether surveillance video, vehicle damage, medical records or witness statements had been collected.

The men were first booked into the Juandre Gilliam Law Enforcement Center and then transported to the Iberia Parish Jail. Police did not announce court dates in the first reports, and it was unclear whether either man had an attorney listed in the case. The next steps would generally include review by prosecutors, possible bond proceedings and the filing or adjustment of formal charges in court. As of the latest public reports, the investigation remained active and the victim’s medical condition had not been released.

Police have not announced additional arrests. The known record now stands on the May 26 calls from Katherine Street, the woman’s hospital transport, the arrests of Brett Phillips and Chris Phillips, and the pending criminal process in Iberia Parish.

Author note: Last updated June 23, 2026.