The death of a child whose head was cut off during childbirth was declared a murder.
On Tuesday, the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that the July 10, 2023, incident involving newborn Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr. murder, confirmed by numerous news outlets.
PEOPLE reached out to the medical examiner’s office for a statement, but did not immediately hear back.
On July 9, Jessica Ross, 20, was rushed to Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, Georgia after her water broke.
Southern Regional Medical Center Hospital in Riverdale, Georgia.
ERIK S LESSER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
According to a fraud and negligence lawsuit filed last summer by Ross and her partner, Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., their baby’s shoulders got stuck in her vaginal canal and she was unable to give birth naturally “due to shoulder dystocia.”
A medical examiner’s report this week found that the baby’s death was due to “shoulder dystocia, labor arrest, and fetal entrapment in the birth canal.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution he reported on Tuesday.
Last year’s lawsuit alleged that Dr. Tracey St. Julian “negligently applied excessive traction” to the baby’s head and that the hospital “failed to perform a C-section in a timely and proper manner,” according to CNN. Additionally, it was said to have resulted in the “Decapitation and Death of Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr.”
The baby’s body and legs were removed during the next C-section procedure, but the baby’s head was delivered vaginally, the Associated Press reported.
The baby, who was the couple’s first child, was born at term. Ross and Taylor also claimed that staff tried to talk them out of the autopsy, and it was only after they were released from the hospital that they found out about the beheading.
According to Atlanta’s Fox 5 News, when the new parents asked if they could see and hold their newborn, the baby was reportedly wrapped tightly in a blanket with the head “laid on the body” to conceal the fact that it had been decapitated.
A woman (28) died ‘unexpectedly’ while giving birth to her first child: ‘She would have been the best mother’
“It caused immediate, deep emotional and mental pain for [them]… emotional and mental anguish that they continue to experience and will most likely experience for the rest of their lives,” the 2023 complaint said, according to WANF.
“They were so excited about the birth of their first child,” the couple’s attorney, Cory Lynch, previously told the AP. “Unfortunately, their dreams and hopes turned into a nightmare that was squelched by Southern Regional Medical Center.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2)/georgia-hospital-lawsuit-baby-decapitated-081023-1-fc85b60cd4a449c794e1023319159a3e.jpg)
Attorney Cory Lynch, left, is joined by Treveon Isaiah Taylor, Sr. and Jessica Ross.
Sudhin Thanawala/AP Photo
PEOPLE reached out to Lynch for comment following Monday’s homicide ruling by the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office, but did not immediately hear back.
Lynch and attorney Roderick E. Edmond, who is representing Ross and Taylor, are expected to hold a news conference about the case Wednesday.
According to previous reports, Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home notified the medical examiner and the family about the decapitation of the newborn.
Want to keep up with the latest crime reports? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for the latest crime news, coverage of ongoing trials and details on intriguing unsolved cases.
The Clayton County Police Department said it is no longer in charge of the investigation AJS. The decision on whether an indictment can be filed against the doctor who gave birth will be made by the County State Attorney’s Office.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Southern Regional Medical Center previously said, “Our sincere thoughts and prayers are with the family and all those affected by this tragic event. Our prayers also remain with the dedicated team of doctors, nurses and staff at Southern Regional Medical Center who cared for this patient.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education