By Claretta Bellamy -
NBC News
The attorney representing a Georgia couple whose baby was decapitated during childbirth last year said at a news conference Wednesday that the hospital and its obstetricians were not honest about the cause of the baby's death, and reiterated allegations made in a lawsuit last year.
The conference followed a news release issued the previous day by the Clayton County Medical Examiner's Office, which declared the baby's death a homicide.
Roderick Edmond, the attorney representing the parents of Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor,
accused the couple's obstetrician
at the time, Dr. Tracey St. Julian, of failing to inform them that their baby had been decapitated after delivery. , according to the couple's demand.
Attorneys Roderick Edmond (left) and Cory Lynch (right) accompanied the parents of the deceased baby, Treveon Isaiah Taylor, Sr. and Jessica Ross, during the press conference in Atlanta, on August 9, 2023. Sudhin Thanawala / AP
"Every aspect of the evidence that reveals what happened is traumatizing," Edmond said.
"It's something I've never seen in my life."
Ross and Taylor filed a lawsuit in August against Southern Regional Medical Center and her obstetrician, St. Julian, alleging that the doctor used "ridiculously excessive force" while Ross was trying to deliver her son, who was decapitated. his lawyer, Edmond, previously stated to NBC News.
During the press conference, Edmond indicated that the lawsuit was still in the early stages.
The medical examiner's office ruled the baby's death a
homicide caused by "the actions of another person
," the medical examiner's news release said.
The baby's death was a direct consequence of a fracture of the cervical vertebrae of his spine, according to the statement.
Taylor, the baby's father, spoke publicly for the first time Wednesday, saying he and his girlfriend were lied to and prevented from touching their son.
"We just want justice for our son," she said.
The baby, whom the couple named Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr., did not descend properly during delivery, most likely due to a condition that occurs when a baby's shoulder becomes stuck behind his mother's pubic bone during labor, which began on July 9.
Ross asked for a C-section while her son "was viable" and was denied, according to the couple's lawsuit.
Instead, she pushed for three hours without giving birth.
The pushing phase of labor typically lasts between 30 minutes and three hours, according to the Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health.
According to the lawsuit, St. Julian, who is a member of a private practice and is not an employee of the hospital, attempted to have the baby delivered vaginally through various methods, including applying traction to the baby's head.
This led to the baby's decapitation and other injuries, including multiple
skull and facial bone fractures
, according to the lawsuit.
The baby was born by emergency cesarean section.
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Betty Honey, the medical examiner's chief investigator, became involved in the case after a funeral home overseeing the baby's services reported that it was "unusual" that the medical examiner's office had not intervened, a coroner's news release noted.
The Georgia Medical Examiner's Office performed another autopsy on the baby on July 14.
Honey and Brian Byars, director of the coroner's office, consulted obstetricians and gynecologists in October to obtain independent information about the case.
Honey also contacted a private forensic pathologist on Jan. 18 to review the results and determine the cause of the baby's death, according to the statement.
A spokesperson for Southern Regional Medical Center said the hospital could not comment on the ruling "due to ongoing litigation."
In August, the medical center said in a statement that it denied "allegations of errors" and that "this unfortunate infant death
occurred in utero prior to delivery
and decapitation."
The hospital also said it had voluntarily reported the death to the Clayton County Medical Examiner's Office and was "cooperating with all investigations."
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Neither St. Julian nor his office responded to a request for comment on the medical examiner's announcement.
The lawsuit alleged that both St. Julian and nurses at Southern Regional Medical Center "failed to meet standards of care."
Ross and Taylor also said in the lawsuit that they did not have the opportunity to support their son.
"We're going to take statements from everyone who was in the 'room,'" Edmond declared at the press conference. "All the nurses, all the OR techs, everyone, to find out, essentially, 'what the hell happened.'" .
Maj. Frank Thomas, a spokesman for the Clayton County Police Department, said the case remains under investigation and did not provide further details.
The case will likely be referred to the Clayton County Prosecutor's Office, according to the statement from the medical examiner's office.
It has been
"tough on the entire family"
since the incident occurred and the couple has sought counseling, Cory Lynch, another attorney representing the couple, testified during the conference.
"They have been strong and resilient in trying to move on with their lives and get back to normal, but a new normal, given the pain they have suffered," he added.