The family of an infant who was decapitated during childbirth delivery has spoken out after a medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.
As previously reported, parents Jessica Ross and Treveon Taylor Sr. filed a fraud and negligence lawsuit in August 2023 after their tragic childbirth delivery that occurred on July 9, 2023.
The 20-year-old mom, who was at full term, went into labor at Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, Georgia, with a doctor named Dr. Tracy St. Julian attempting to deliver her baby during the early morning of July 10.
Per CNN, Dr. St. Julian uses various methods, such as "applying traction to the baby’s head" during delivery, however, the infant reportedly became stuck due to shoulder dystocia - a condition when a baby’s shoulders becomes caught in the birth canal - and this complicated the delivery.
According to the filing, the doctor made the decision to perform a Cesarean section after three hours, and tragically, the newborn's body was delivered, while the head was delivered vaginally.
The family’s attorneys Cory Lynch and Roderick Edmond, claimed that Dr. St. Julian did not tell Ross and her family about the decapitation when she spoke to them at around 5AM on July 10, as reported by Fox 5.
It also argues that the hospital prevented the mother and father from seeking an autopsy, stating that a free autopsy was not a choice for them under the circumstances. Instead, they reportedly tried to pressure the couple into having their son cremated instead of being sent to a funeral home.
When the new parents demanded to see and hold their infant - who was named Treveon Isaiah Taylor, Jr. - he was reportedly tightly covered with a blanket so his head "propped on top of his body" to hide the fact that he was decapitated.
The parents found out about their infant's decapitation after Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home contacted them and the medical examiner. This happened on July 13 - which was three days after Ross and her partner were told their baby had died.
The news of the baby's decapitation caused "immediate, profound emotional and mental anguish" for the parents, the 2023 complaint shared, per ANF.
"They were so excited about the birth of their first child," Lynch told the Associated Press. "Unfortunately, their dreams and hopes turned into a nightmare that was covered up by Southern Regional Medical Center."
The medical examiner’s office explained that the cause of death of Treveon Taylor was a "fracture dislocation with complete transection (to the) upper cervical spine and spinal cord," and that his death was caused by shoulder dystocia, arrest of labor, and fetal entrapment in the birth canal.
The medical examiner's office also added that pregnancy-induced diabetes and premature rupture of membranes contributed to his tragic passing. Furthermore, The Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office alleged that Treveon's death was caused by the "actions of another person".
Officials with Southern Regional Medical Center issued a statement stating that "this unfortunate infant death occurred in utero prior to the delivery and decapitation," and said that Dr. St. Julian is not "and never has been" an employee of the hospital.
On Wednesday (February 7), Treveon Sr. and Ross spoke publicly for the first time at a press conference. "We just want justice for our son," the bereaved father said, per PEOPLE. He also referenced hospital staff as he alleged, "They lied to us."
The grieving mother was overcome with emotion and did not speak.
Our thoughts continue to be with the parents at this devastating time.
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