Parents Address Public Following Infant’s Decapitation Fatality Deemed Homicide in Clayton County

Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr. made his first public statement following the heartbreaking loss of his child during a press conference hosted at his attorneys’ office in southeast Atlanta on Wednesday.

The Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office officially declared the infant’s death a homicide on Tuesday.

Expressing his anguish, Taylor asserted, “All we seek is justice for our son. We were misled. Denied the chance to hold him. This is unacceptable. We demand justice for our son,” in his interaction with the press.

Taylor, alongside his child’s mother, Jessica Ross, has initiated legal proceedings against Southern Regional Medical Center, OB-GYN Tracey St. Julian, multiple nurses, and a medical group. The lawsuit arises from the tragic incident in which the couple’s baby, Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr., suffered decapitation during birth in July.

Legal representatives for the couple contest the hospital’s assertion that the baby passed away in utero before delivery.

“Despite Southern Regional Medical Center’s claim that the baby died due to shoulder dystocia complications prior to decapitation during the subsequent surgical procedure,” explained attorney Dr. Roderick Edmond, “the medical examiner’s office independently determined the cause of death to be neck trauma resulting in the baby’s death.”

The couple’s legal team further alleges that the medical personnel involved in the delivery made active efforts to conceal the decapitation.

The child’s parents remained unaware of the distressing details until three days later when the baby’s body arrived at a funeral home in Riverdale. Funeral home staff notified the family, prompting authorities to initiate an investigation.

The legal representatives contend that when the parents requested to see their child, they were only allowed to view the deceased infant through a glass window. During this heartbreaking moment, the baby was tightly wrapped in a blanket with his head positioned on his body to obscure the decapitation.

Furthermore, the attorneys claim that medical staff discouraged the parents from pursuing an autopsy and instead urged them to choose cremation.

Dr. Edmond emphasized the severity of the situation, stating, “The entire ordeal is deeply troubling. The evidence of what transpired is profoundly disturbing, unlike anything I’ve encountered.”

The Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office Report: The report concluded that Treveon Taylor Jr.’s cause of death was a fracture-dislocation resulting in complete transection of the upper cervical spine and spinal cord (C1-C2). This was caused by shoulder dystocia, labor arrest, and fetal entrapment in the birth canal. Other significant factors contributing to the death included pregnancy-induced diabetes and premature rupture of membranes.

The case remains under investigation by the Clayton County Police Department, with the possibility of referral to the District Attorney’s Office, as the term “homicide” indicates that another person’s actions caused the death, whether criminal or not.

HBInjury Lawyers is very sorry to these parents. No parent should have to feel such a loss. 

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