Decapitated baby

Updated:   Published

Not a lot of coverage on the baby that was decapitated during birth and the nursing staff that helped to try and cover it up.

This happened in July.

I'm an advocate for these nurses losing their licenses, and being criminally charged.

Specializes in ER, expert witness, management.

Dr. Roderick Edmond is the lead attorney, and explains the events from the eyes of a physician, as he still is.

He has reviewed the medical records and is explaining what was documented very eloquently.

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Specializes in ER.

If anyone thought a coverup would work, they have a lower IQ than average. There's no way family wouldn't find out. I can see the nurses wanting to make the baby look as good as possible for the family, but why are they just holding up the body? Family should be able to cuddle with the baby, with parental permission, of course. I'd hesitate to talk about the whole situation until after the physician did, but I wouldn't hide it. What a mess.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I need for someone to explain how this is even possible??? I was convinced this was some kind of hoax. Horrified. 

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Baby decapitated during birth at Riverdale hospital, lawsuit allege

Quote

...According to the complaint, 20-year-old Jessica Ross was giving birth on July 9 when the baby's shoulders got stuck in the lady partsl canal. A doctor allegedly performed a cesarean section too late and applied "excessive tension" on the baby's head, causing it to detach from the body.

"My clients asked for a C-section much sooner than it was ever delivered while the baby was viable,” Edmond said.

The law firm also said the doctor did not tell the mother and father, Treveon Isaiah Taylor, what had happened. Instead, hospital staff allegedly refused to let them hold the baby after death. They showed the parents the baby wrapped tightly in a blanket with the head propped on top, a statement said. It also says staff pressured the couple to cremate the remains and told them an autopsy wasn't warranted

Georgia doctor decapitated baby during delivery, according to lawsuit

Quote

...According to the suit, the baby got stuck during delivery, but St. Julian delayed a surgical procedure and failed to seek help quickly. Instead, she applied "ridiculously excessive force" on the baby's head and neck to try to deliver it, attorney Roderick Edmond, who is also a physician, said....

...Their attorneys also accused Southern Regional staff of trying to cover up the decapitation by discouraging the couple from getting an autopsy, encouraging them to have their son cremated and wrapping and propping his body to make it appear the head was still attached....

Roughly three hours passed before St. Julian took Ross, 20, for a cesarean section, according to the suit. By then, a fetal monitor had stopped registering a heartbeat.

The cesarean section removed the baby's legs and body, but the head was delivered lady partslly, according to Edmond....

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Specializes in Critical Care.
SHH said:

Who else but nursing would swaddle the kid and hold him up through the window with a detached head, concealing the decapitation and the bloodshed.

Nursing would also be the ones to call the medical examiner (usually the charge or the house sup, never the doc)

 I've done many many times. This wasn't done, as the whole thing was a cover up.

Anyone in the room - complicit...

Yes but can you believe the lowly nurse did this on their own initiative?  I can't believe the nurse told them they couldn't have an autopsy without paying or to cremate the baby.  I have to believe a hospital supervisor took over and made these executive decisions to cover up this terrible negligent tragedy and that is a crime!  Reminds me of the Vanderbuilt coverup that almost cost them CMS medicare funding which would have shut down the hospital.

How did they think it could remain covered up unless they had the funeral home in their back pocket!  Obviously they didn't and no way to hide what happened.  In my opinion the Dr wouldn't have had the authority to pull this attempted cover up off without the cooperation of hospital management. 

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

It is indefensible that a cesarean was not performed immediately. This just adds to the data reflecting the horrible outcomes that women of color experience in our health system.

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Specializes in Research & Critical Care.

I personally like to have facts before advocating for ending careers. 

Lawyers are notorious for manipulating events and presenting evidence to fit their narrative. Cool, he was a doctor at some point. His job now is to win. 

I need investigative reports. Until then it's just sensationalism. Not to say there ultimately won't be solid evidence of wrongdoing. It's just too early.

In regards to swaddling to "cover up" the decapitation.. I'd love to hear from the person that would present individual pieces of a dead child. I feel the parents should have been told about the complication but every state has different laws regarding disclosure and then the level of disclosure. I'm not going to pretend to know the specific laws involved. I just know that there is a larger puzzle to be put together here.

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Specializes in ER, expert witness, management.

Failure to advocate and fraud are big ones.

Lawyer speak notwithstanding, that's what jumped out to me when I heard the details, as a nurse.

It's clear that their physician/lawyer has reviewed the medical records, and was candid regarding horrific details. Recounting the events for the young parents.

Nobody reported. This is a diffusion of responsibility phenomenon. "Somebody else will do something"

 Certainly not for me to say whether licensure statuses will be affected.

A gut reaction from the details.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
canoehead said:

If anyone thought a coverup would work, they have a lower IQ than average. There's no way family wouldn't find out. I can see the nurses wanting to make the baby look as good as possible for the family, but why are they just holding up the body? Family should be able to cuddle with the baby, with parental permission, of course. I'd hesitate to talk about the whole situation until after the physician did, but I wouldn't hide it. What a mess.

Yes, if the baby had died in utero, as they seem to be claiming, there would have been an entirely different sequence of events involving the grieving  process, support for the family, etc.

Absolutely awful, but thank God for the man at the funeral home who actually did something about it.  Apparently those involved in the covering up process didn't count on that.

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Specializes in ICU/Flight Nurse.

The people who are saying they need more evidence of wrong doing just blows my mind. They refused to allow the parents to hold the baby, then proceeded to swaddled the baby and PROP the head up. What other evidence do you need? That is not the behavior of innocent people. There is no way those parents should have left that hospital without being notified of what happened to their baby. Period. 

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Specializes in Critical Care.
brandy1017 said:

Yes but can you believe the lowly nurse did this on their own initiative?  I can't believe the nurse told them they couldn't have an autopsy without paying or to cremate the baby.  I have to believe a hospital supervisor took over and made these executive decisions to cover up this terrible negligent tragedy and that is a crime!  Reminds me of the Vanderbuilt coverup that almost cost them CMS medicare funding which would have shut down the hospital.

How did they think it could remain covered up unless they had the funeral home in their back pocket!  Obviously they didn't and no way to hide what happened.  In my opinion the Dr wouldn't have had the authority to pull this attempted cover up off without the cooperation of hospital management. 

I just realized the Vanderbilt coverup was not the same.  As they told the family about the death, just not CMS and lied to medical examiner.  They did settle with the family so they received some compensation for the mistake that lead to the death of their loved one.  Here, however, the hospital was so brazen they misrepresented the death and appeared to have no intention of compensating and settling with the couple for this terrible negligent tragedy if they could have gotten away with the baby being cremated.  They discouraged and obstructed them from having an autopsy and encouraged a cremation so there would be no evidence for a lawsuit against the hospital and Dr.  But can't imagine any funeral home that would be complicit with this, especially once they realized the family didn't know what really happened!  The sad truth that this didn't have to happen if the Dr had just chosen to do a C-section when the baby first became stuck is so heartbreaking. 

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Specializes in Community health.
heron said:

You are misrepresenting what I wrote. I notice that there is no reference to any reliable account if events. Convenient.

This thread is basically outrage Media. Have fun!

Yes, the thread is a dumpster fire.

I hope a thorough investigation is done (NOT by the hospital!) to figure out what the hell happened, and who was involved.

This is the doctor. Her credentials look perfect; I'm sure I would have felt confident in her too: https://premierwomensobgyn.com/about-us/ 

 

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