The death of a baby who was decapitated during delivery in a Georgia hospital has been ruled a homicide.
On Tuesday, the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office said the death of Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr. was caused by the “actions of another person,” but added that it would be up to the district attorney to file formal charges.
The baby suffered a “fracture dislocation with complete transection (of the) upper cervical spine and spinal cord,” according to an autopsy report obtained by Atlanta New First.
His death was caused by shoulder dystocia, arrest of labor and entrapment of the fetus in the birth canal. Gestational diabetes and premature rupture of membranes also contributed, according to the report.
Although no medical professional has been criminally charged, the baby’s parents have filed lawsuits against Southern Regional Medical Center, as well as doctor Tracey St. Julian and pathologist Dr. Jackson Gates.
The death of Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr.’s baby, Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr., who was decapitated during birth, has been ruled a homicide by the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office
Although criminal charges have yet to be filed, the parents have filed civil lawsuits against Dr. Tracey St. Julian (left), who they accuse of delaying a C-section procedure and failing to seek help quickly, and against Dr. Jackson Gates, of who they claim posted graphic photos of their baby’s autopsy online
Their nightmare began on July 9 when mom Jessica Ross, 20, and her partner Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr. arrived at Riverdale hospital to give birth.
According to the complaint, Ross began experiencing complications when her son’s shoulders became stuck during a vaginal delivery that began at 8:40 p.m.
Dr. St. Julian is accused of delaying a cesarean section and not seeking help quickly. Instead, she applied “ridiculously excessive force” to the baby’s head and neck in an attempt to deliver the baby while Ross was still awake, attorney and doctor Roderick Edmond claims.
The baby’s body and legs were delivered by cesarean section three and a half hours later at 12:11 p.m., and his head was delivered vaginally.
When Ross and Taylor demanded to see and hold their child, they claim the baby was wrapped tightly in a blanket and his head was “resting on his body” so it appeared as if he was still attached. They eventually found out about the beheading from the funeral home, they claim.
The lawsuit claims that Dr. St. Julian had not told Ross and her family about the beheading when she spoke to them around 5 a.m. on July 10.
The grieving couple have accused the hospital of trying to cover up the events by discouraging them from having an autopsy and encouraging them to have their son cremated.
They claim the situation only came to light after a whistleblower at the Willie A Watkins funeral home became concerned about the condition of the body.
Ross and Taylor Sr. claiming that Southern Regional Medical Center tried to cover up what happened by discouraging them from having an autopsy performed and encouraging them to have their son cremated
The couple’s nightmare began when their son’s shoulders became stuck during a delivery that began at 8:40 p.m., according to the complaint. Dr. St. Julian is accused of applying “ridiculously excessive force” to the baby’s head and neck in an attempt to deliver the baby while Ross was still awake
The couple is also suing independent pathologist Dr. Jackson Gates, who they say posted graphic images of the child’s autopsy.
The lawsuit accuses Gates of receiving $2,500 for the autopsy before posting identifying videos and photos to Instagram, where he often shares his work for public health purposes.
The couple says they woke up on July 14 to see that Gates had recorded videos of the baby’s autopsy and then posted them to his public account for the whole world to see.
The lawsuit claims, “This video showed in graphic and gruesome detail a post-mortem examination of the decapitated, severed head of baby Isaiah.”
It is further alleged that after the clip was deleted, Gates posted two more videos of the baby’s autopsy exactly a week later – videos that graphically depicted the baby’s head, body, brain, and even organs.
Southern Regional said in statements at the time that it could not discuss the treatment of certain patients due to privacy laws, but denied the allegations against it.
“Sincere thoughts and prayers” were with Ross and Taylor and their caregivers, the report said.
“It is our commitment to providing every patient with compassionate, quality care, and this loss is heartbreaking,” the hospital said.
It later added that St. Julian was not an employee of the hospital and that it had “taken appropriate action in response to this unfortunate situation.”
On Tuesday, a spokeswoman said the hospital could not comment “due to ongoing litigation.”
DailyMail.com has contacted St Julian and Gates for comment.