Finally, there are some new developments in the death of a baby born in Clayton County, Ga. whose head was allegedly detached from its body by the delivery physician. The medical examiner’s office ruled the baby’s death as a homicide.
Jessica Ross and her boyfriend, Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., filed a lawsuit against Southern Regional Medical Center alleging their baby, Treveon Jr., was violently mishandled during birth on July 9. The suit accuses Dr. Tracey St. Julian of using excessive force on the baby’s head and neck during vaginal delivery, ultimately causing a decapitation. The suit alleges her son’s head was delivered vaginally but his body was delivered through a C-section.
Medical Examiner’s Verdict
The county medical examiner’s report this week found the infant suffered a birth complication called dystocia where the shoulders become locked in the mother’s pelvis and puts the baby at risk of life-threatening limb damage if not handled correctly by the physician, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The cause of death was as a result of a “fracture dislocation with complete transection (to the) upper cervical spine and spinal cord.” The report ruled the death a homicide. While noting other factors like diabetes which Ross got during pregnancy, the report made it clear that the death was by the hands of another person.
A Confused Mortician
The lawsuit further alleged the hospital tried to cover up the details of how their baby died by discouraging them to get an autopsy.
The couple says they didn’t realize what actually happened until they got a concerned call from the Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home days after the incident where they learned the baby’s head was detached from his body, per the suit. The general manager, Sylvania Watkins, told WSB-TV she never saw anything like it before but was even more confused that she received the baby’s remains from the hospital and not the medical examiner’s office.
“This is what raised the red flag, to receive this baby from the hospital with that condition, that was the first red flag. Actually, this baby should’ve come from the medical examiner from the jump, so that’s how I ended up calling the medical examiner to see if it was reported,” said Watkins.
Unexpected IG Scandal?
Ross and Taylor already came for one doctor but they filed a second lawsuit in August against Dr. Jackson L. Gates, the private pathologist who conducted a post-mortem examination of their son’s body, per the AJC’s report. In this separate complaint, the couple accuse Gates of posting graphic videos and images of their son’s remains on his Instagram account.
The suit also asserted that they never gave him permission to do anything of the sort.
Ugh! These parents deserve a break already.
Clayton County police announced Tuesday their investigation into little Treveon’s death was completed and handed over to the district attorney’s office to decide whether criminal charges will be filed. The hospital maintains that they did nothing wrong in reference to the incident but insist the death happened “prior to delivery,” according to a statement.