In July of last year, a baby was decapitated during birth at an Atlanta-area hospital. The Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the incident as a homicide. According to WSBTV.com, the baby died due to “fracture-dislocation” of his upper cervical spine and spinal cord, as reported by the medical examiner.
Jessica Ross, as previously reported by HowAfrica, filed a complaint against Southern Regional Medical Center and others, claiming that a physician beheaded her infant after using excessive force during delivery.
The August 2023 complaint claims the hospital attempted to conceal the baby’s death from his family, according to CNN. According to the family attorney, Ross delivered the baby at full term.
According to the lawsuit, on July 9, Ross went into labor and her doctor, Tracey St. Julian, attempted vaginal delivery using several methods, including applying tension to the baby’s head.
The complaint asserts that “the baby did not properly descend due to shoulder dystocia.” The Cleveland Clinic describes this problem as “when one or both of your baby’s shoulders get stuck during vaginal delivery.”
According to CNN, the complaint argues that the doctor violated medical standards by applying undue traction to the baby’s neck and head. The complaint also claims that the doctor, who is also a defendant in the lawsuit, “failed to perform a Cesarean section in a timely and proper manner, resulting in Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr.’s decapitation and death.”
According to Roderick Edmond, the family’s attorney, the baby’s lower body was removed via Cesarean section and his head was delivered vaginally, as reported by the Associated Press. The attorney also claimed that the baby’s death may have been avoided if the couple’s initial request for a Cesarean section had not been denied.
According to a family representative, medical workers told Ross and Taylor that they were “not allowed to touch or hold their child” when the pair “demanded to see and hold their baby.”
“Hospital staff allowed the young couple to only see their deceased child,” the statement continued. “During this viewing, their baby was wrapped tightly in a blanket with his head propped on top of his body in a manner such that those viewing him could not identify that he had been decapitated.”
According to The Associated Press, hospital workers first discouraged the couple from obtaining an autopsy and suggested they cremate their deceased kid.
The Clayton County Police Department has informed WSBTV.com that they have completed their investigations and forwarded their findings to the District Attorney’s Office. It is unclear whether officials will press charges.