The death of a Georgia baby who was decapitated during his delivery last year has been ruled a homicide.
On July 9, Jessica Ross went into labor with her son, Treveon Isaiah Taylor, Jr., at Southern Medical Regional Center in Clayton County, Georgia. Ross had a difficult labor and experienced shoulder dystocia, a condition in which one or both of the baby’s shoulders get stuck inside the mother’s pelvis. In many cases, this necessitates a c-section delivery, but Ross was not offered a c-section.
Instead, her child was decapitated as the doctor, Tracey St. Julian, attempted to pull him out during delivery.
The recent report from the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office said the baby’s cause of death was from a “fracture-dislocation with complete transection, upper cervical (C1-C2) spine, and spinal cord,” due to “shoulder dystocia, arrest of labor, and fetal entrapment in the birth canal.” The death was also ruled a homicide — meaning a death caused by another person — though at this time it is unknown if any charges will be filed.
Ross and her boyfriend, Treveon Isaiah Taylor, Sr., contend that the hospital has tried to cover up what happened to baby Treveon. They have filed a lawsuit against St. Julian and her OB/GYN practice, as well as the nurses and doctors involved in the birth and the hospital, citing medical negligence and the wrongful death of the baby.
“I just want justice for my baby boy. I’m hurt. I’m hurt bad. [The doctor] hurt me. She took my baby,” Ross told 11Alive News. “She didn’t show no emotions. I just want justice for my baby.”
The hospital continues to deny any wrongdoing, as officials have released a statement saying, “[T]his unfortunate infant death occurred in utero prior to the delivery and decapitation.” According to CNN, the hospital says that prenatal diabetes and a premature rupture of the membranes contributed to the baby’s death.
“I have never witnessed anything like this before. No one in our office has seen anything like this. Everyone we have consulted has never seen a situation like this before,” Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Director Brian Byars told CNN. “I find it very unusual that the hospital didn’t contact our office due to the amount of trauma that was involved in this incident.”
