Current:Home > reviewsGeorgia family of baby decapitated during birth claims doctor posted images online -WealthSpot
Georgia family of baby decapitated during birth claims doctor posted images online
View
Date:2025-04-17 23:00:01
This story contains sensitive material about childbirth and death.
A young Georgia couple who sued an OBGYN last month in the alleged decapitation death of their baby has filed a second lawsuit against another doctor who was tasked with performing the infant's autopsy.
The parents, Jessica Ross, 20, and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., 21, experienced tragedy in July when their first baby died in childbirth, as previously reported by USA TODAY. A month later, they filed a lawsuit accusing their physician of decapitating the baby by use of excessive force during delivery.
The family now says they were revictimized thanks to images posted online of the autopsy, attorney Roderick Edmond said in a press conference on Tuesday. The family is filing a lawsuit against the pathologist who they say shared these graphic images of their deceased infant's body on his Instagram page.
Family sues doctor for death of baby:Family sues Georgia doctor after baby was decapitated during delivery, lawsuit alleges
What the lawsuit claims
The couple originally filed a lawsuit in the death of baby Isaiha in August, accusing Dr. Tracey St. Julian and Southern Regional Medical Center of medical malpractice, gross negligence, fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress for failing to seek help promptly when the infant showed signs of distress during delivery.
According to Edmond, the attending doctor refused the laboring mother a C-section and then applied “ridiculously excessive force” on the baby’s head and neck when it became stuck. When an emergency C-section did occur, according to Edmond, the baby's legs and body were removed but the head, which had been separated, was delivered vaginally.
As part of the investigation into the child's death, the family says they paid independent pathologist Dr. Jackson Gates $2,500, to perform an independent autopsy.
It was only days later, reports local station WSB-TV Channel 2, that family members saw pictures of the newborn’s decapitated head posted on Instagram.
Dr. Gates, who later took to his Instagram page to defend himself, is accused of taking now-deleted photos and videos of the child's full face and organs while performing said autopsy and posting them for what he said were "educational purposes."
"I want you to hear this clearly, I will never divulge the identity or disclose the identity of any live patients or any deceased patients that come for my care," Gates said in a video shared on the platform.
Edmond addressed this defense directly during Tuesday's press conference, saying, “What educational value is it to anybody to view a picture of a decapitated baby?" and called the actions "diabolical."
"[The parents] were manipulated by the hospital and now they're manipulated again," he said.
Both lawsuits are still pending and an ongoing, multi-agency investigation into the death has been launched.
The initial allegations
Surgical tool left in woman's body:'Dinner plate sized' surgical tool removed from woman's body 18 months post C-section
According to the initial lawsuit, baby Isaiha became stuck at one point during a 10-hour labor on July 9. The couple, according to Edmond, asked for a C-section earlier, at a time when they believed the child could have lived, but were denied.
The family alleges that Dr. St. Julian applied “ridiculously excessive force” on the baby’s head and neck to try to deliver it. When a C-section was finally performed, said Edmond, a fetal monitor showed the baby's heartbeat had stopped.
This was when the baby's torso and legs were delivered surgically while the head was delivered vaginally, alleges the suit. The hospital is accused of then wrapping the baby tightly in a blanket and "propping the baby’s head on top of the blanket to make it appear like the head was attached when it wasn’t,” Edmond previously told reporters at an August press conference.
Southern Regional Medical Center Spokesperson Kimberly Golden-Benner previously told USA TODAY the hospital could not comment on pending litigation but "denies the allegations" against it.
A statement provided by the hospital said that St. Julian "is not and never has been an employee of the hospital, and the hospital has taken appropriate steps in response to this unfortunate situation," but declined to elaborate on those steps.
“Our commitment is to provide compassionate, quality care to every single patient, and this loss is heartbreaking,” the statement said.
Natalie Neysa Alund contribute to this report.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Billy Baldwin says Gilgo Beach murders suspect was his high school classmate: Mind-boggling
- Titanic Submersible Disappearance: Debris Found in Search Area
- Polar Bears Are Suffering from the Arctic’s Loss of Sea Ice. So Is Scientists’ Ability to Study Them
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- New York and New England Need More Clean Energy. Is Hydropower From Canada the Best Way to Get it?
- For the Second Time in Four Years, the Ninth Circuit Has Ordered the EPA to Set New Lead Paint and Dust Standards
- Instagram and Facebook launch new paid verification service, Meta Verified
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Titanic Sub Search: Details About Missing Hamish Harding’s Past Exploration Experience Revealed
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- This $23 Travel Cosmetics Organizer Has 37,500+ 5-Star Amazon Reviews
- Temple University cuts tuition and health benefits for striking graduate students
- Microsoft vs. Google: Whose AI is better?
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Health concerns grow in East Palestine, Ohio, after train derailment
- The debt ceiling, extraordinary measures, and the X Date. Why it all matters.
- Inside Clean Energy: Four Charts Tell the Story of the Post-Covid Energy Transition
Recommendation
US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
Fossil Fuel Companies Took Billions in U.S. Coronavirus Relief Funds but Still Cut Nearly 60,000 Jobs
Florida ocean temperatures peak to almost 100 degrees amid heatwave: You really can't cool off
Maya Hawke Details Lying to Dad Ethan Hawke the Night She Lost Her Virginity
Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
14 Gifts For the Never Have I Ever Fan In Your Life
Kesha Shares She Almost Died After Freezing Her Eggs
Compare the election-fraud claims Fox News aired with what its stars knew