The heartbreaking truth behind the woman found with foetus parts in her purse.

A woman arrested on drug charges has been found with parts of a foetus in her purse.

Bernadette Rivera, 32, from Texas, was arrested on April 28 for possessing narcotics but surprised officers when it was revealed she was also concealing parts of a foetus in her bag.

Speaking behind the glass of a jail cell, Rivera explained to local news KSAT how the fragments came into her possession.

“I miscarried at a friend’s house,” she said.

Rivera then revealed she had been carrying the fragments for 25 days before they were confiscated by arresting officers.

When asked why she had held onto the pieces for so long, Rivera said she struggled to let them go.

"As a parent, you just want what's best for your child. Maybe I was trying to protect her until I could bury her. Maybe I just didn't want to let go. Maybe a part of me still doesn't want to let go," she said.

Rivera told KSAT she had been approached by police while she was looking for her debit card in a park.

Rivera said that officers told her she was violating the park's curfew.

Police then found Rivera was carrying one gram of methamphetamine and one gram of heroin.

Rivera said that she had stopped taking drugs to become pregnant.

"I was carrying somebody else's stuff. It was easy money to hold onto it for somebody. I've been clean since November. I cleaned up to get pregnant," Rivera said.

Officers confirmed that Rivera was not under the influence at the time of her arrest.

Video footage of the interview Rivera had from the Texan county jail. Post continues after video.

In her interview with the news station, Rivera also revealed she had reached out to a religious program that offers burials after miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies and still births.

Rivera told Kens news the program refused to bury her child because she hadn't miscarried whilst at the hospital.

“They said because I didn’t have the miscarriage at their hospital… that they couldn’t bury my baby,” Bernadette said.

“That’s all I was waiting for, to hear back from them.”

A spokesperson for the program confirmed that Rivera had made contact but they were unable to assist because she wasn't a patient.

Rivera has been booked with three drug charges and the foetus has been taken to a funeral home where her family is said to be making preparations.