Georgia authorities are investigating the death of a baby that lawyers claim was decapitated during delivery last month.
The Clayton County Police Department said Thursday it has opened an investigation into the July 9 infant death at a Riverdale hospital. The law enforcement agency did not expand on the scope of the probe, and said it could not provide additional details because investigators were in the preliminary phase of the investigation.
Attorneys for Jessica Ross, 20, allege in a lawsuit against Southern Regional Medical Center, that medical staffers act negligently during her delivery.
The baby stopped descending because of shoulder dystocia while being delivered vaginally, meaning the baby’s shoulders could not fit through the pelvic area, the lawsuit said. Dr. Tracey St. Julian reportedly attempted to deliver the baby vaginally using different methods, including applying traction to the baby’s head.
Jessica Ross, 20, right, at a news conference with her lawyers announcing a lawsuit against a Georgia hospital after her baby was allegedly decapitated during delivery. (WAGA)
“In the process of trying to deliver this baby [the doctor] pulled on the head and neck so hard, and manipulated them so hard, that the bones in the baby’s skull face and neck were broken,” Roderick Edmond, one of Ross’ attorneys, said during a news conference.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the hospital said the baby died prior to delivery.
“As our deepest sympathies remain with the family, Southern Regional Medical Center denies the allegations of wrongdoing in the Complaint referencing the hospital,” the statement said. “Due to patient privacy laws and HIPAA, we are unable to discuss the care and treatment of specific patients, but we can state this unfortunate infant death occurred in utero prior to the delivery and decapitation.
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“The hospital voluntarily reported the death to the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s office and is cooperating with all investigations. Since this matter is in litigation, we cannot provide additional statements,” the statement continued. “Dr. St. Julian is not and never has been an employee of the hospital. Our commitment is to provide compassionate, quality care to every single patient, and this loss is heartbreaking for all involved.”
The lawsuit alleges the hospital discouraged Ross and the baby’s father from seeking an autopsy and allegedly told them to take the infant to a funeral home for cremation.
The Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, Georgia. (Google Maps)
A report of the alleged decapitation was never made to authorities, Cory Lynch, an attorney for Ross, said during a news conference to announce the lawsuit. The death was flagged by a funeral home, he said.
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“They did everything in their power to not let the family know what happened,” Lynch said.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
