A funeral home owner said a baby who was decapitated at birth at a Georgia hospital was taken directly there and officials did not report his death to a coroner.
Sylvania Watkins, director of Watkins Funeral Home, recalled receiving the newborn's body and realizing that the first warning sign was that he had arrived from Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale in such condition.
Little Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr. died in childbirth on July 9 during a botched delivery. His body and legs were delivered via cesarean section – and three and a half hours later at 12:11 a.m. his head was delivered vaginally.
His mother, Jessica Ross, 20, and her partner, Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., say they were only informed that their dead newborn's head had been decapitated at the funeral home.
The Clayton County coroner confirmed to that it was the funeral home, not the hospital, that first informed them of the deceased newborn's condition.
According to protocol, the hospital should have contacted the examiner immediately after determining the child's death. The coroner took custody of the baby's body away from Watkins and only then was an autopsy performed.
Sylvania Watkins, director of Watkins Funeral Home, recalled receiving the newborn's body and realizing that the first warning sign was that she had come from Riverdale Hospital in such a condition
His mother, Jessica Ross, 20, and her partner, Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., say they were only informed that their dead newborn's head had been decapitated at the funeral home. They are pictured at a press conference on Wednesday
Mother Ross held back tears as she stood by her partner's side
The father, Taylor, said briefly at a press conference today: “We want justice for our son. 'They lied to us.' Ross held back her tears and stood next to him.
One of her lawyers added: “It was tough for the whole family. “They were strong and resilient.”
They claim the baby's neck was broken while the doctor applied excessive traction before refusing to allow the parents to touch their deceased child. The family's legal team is working to remove everyone who was in the room at the time of the birth.
Taylor wiped away his partner's tears as her lawyer said this on Wednesday.
Sylvania Watkins, who has worked in the industry for over four decades, told WSBTV: “This is the first time I've witnessed something like this.”
“After we recovered the body from Southern Regional, I was called down to see what they had brought back from the hospital and that's when I noticed the baby's head wasn't attached to the body.”
“That raised the alarm bell, taking this baby out of the hospital with this condition, that was the first alarm bell.”
“This baby was supposed to have come out of the jump by the coroner, so I ended up calling the coroner to see if it was reported.”
“Dealing with my mother and father was even more disturbing because I was the one who had to tell them this news.”
On Tuesday, the Clayton County Coroner's Office said the death of Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr. was caused by the “actions of another person.”
According to an autopsy report obtained by Atlanta New First, the baby suffered a “dislocation fracture with complete transection of the upper cervical spine and spinal cord.”
His death was caused by shoulder dystocia, arrested labor and fetal entrapment in the birth canal. Pregnancy-related diabetes and premature rupture of membranes also contributed, according to the report.
Although no medical professional has been criminally charged, the baby's parents are pursuing lawsuits against Southern Regional Medical Center and gynecologist Dr. Tracey St. Julian and pathologist Dr. Jackson Gates.
Her nightmare began on July 9 when mother Jessica Ross, 20, arrived at Riverdale Hospital with her partner Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr. to give birth.
According to the lawsuit, Ross experienced complications when her baby boy's shoulders became stuck during a vaginal delivery that began at 8:40 p.m.
The death of Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr.'s baby, Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr., who was decapitated at birth, has been ruled a homicide by the Clayton County Coroner's Office
Ross and Taylor Sr. claim Southern Regional Medical Center tried to cover up the incident by discouraging them from an autopsy and encouraging them to have their son cremated
Dr. St. Julian is accused of delaying a cesarean section and not seeking help quickly. Instead, she applied “ridiculously excessive force” to the baby's head and neck to deliver him while Ross was still awake, claims lawyer and doctor Roderick Edmond.
When Ross and Taylor demanded to see and hold their child, they claimed the baby was tightly wrapped in a blanket and his head was “supported on his body” to give the impression it was still attached.
They eventually found out about the beheading at the funeral home, they claim.
The lawsuit alleges that Dr. St. Julian did not tell Ross or her family about the beheading when she spoke to them around 5 a.m. on July 10.
The grieving couple accuse the hospital of trying to cover up the incident by discouraging them from an autopsy and encouraging them to have their son cremated.
Hospital staff also allegedly lied to the couple and said that a free autopsy was not an option for them given the circumstances.
They claim the situation only came to light after a whistleblower at Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home became concerned about the condition of the body.
While criminal charges are still pending, the parents filed civil lawsuits against Dr. Tracey St. Julian (left), whom they accuse of delaying a caesarean section and not seeking help quickly, and against Dr. Jackson Gates they allegedly posted graphic images of their baby's autopsy online
The couple's nightmare began when their baby boy's shoulders got stuck during a delivery that began at 8:40 p.m., the lawsuit says. Dr. St. Julian is accused of using “ridiculously excessive force” on the baby's head and neck to deliver him while Ross was still awake
However, the hospital claims they told the couple about the beheading on July 13 – days after – and that they voluntarily reported the death to the Clayton County coroner's office.
According to Watkins at the funeral home, he was the first to notify the coroner and parents.
The couple are also suing independent pathologist Dr. Jackson Gates, who she said posted graphic images of the child's autopsy.
The lawsuit accuses Gates of taking $2,500 for the autopsy before posting identifying videos and photos on Instagram, where he often shares his work for public health purposes.
The couple said they woke up on July 14 and saw that Gates had taken videos of the baby's autopsy and then posted them on his public account for the world to see.
The lawsuit states: “This video graphically and in gruesome detail showed an autopsy of the decapitated, severed head of Baby Isaiah.”
It goes on to claim that after removing the clip, Gates posted two more videos of the baby's autopsy exactly a week later – one that graphically depicted the baby's head, body, brain and even organs.
Southern Regional said in statements at the time that it could not discuss treatment of specific patients due to privacy laws, but denied the allegations made against the company.
His “sincere thoughts and prayers” are with Ross and Taylor and their carers, it said.
“Our goal is to provide compassionate, high-quality care to each and every patient, and this loss is heartbreaking,” the hospital said.
It later added that St. Julian was not an employee of the hospital and had “taken the appropriate steps in response to this unfortunate situation.”
On Tuesday, a spokeswoman said the hospital could not comment “due to ongoing litigation.”
Ross and Taylor's attorney said: “After suffering one of the most heartbreaking losses a family could ever endure, Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr. poured salt into their unfathomable emotional wounds when they watched the video of the very graphic “They discovered their baby during a medical examination.” had been made public by the doctor they had hired to perform the autopsy.
“This is one of the most egregious and outrageous cases of ‘influence hunting’ we have ever seen.”
'DR. Without the family's permission, Jackson Gates attempted to exploit our client's terrible loss to boost his own social media profile.
“We want to make sure that Dr. Gates must be held accountable for this incredible invasion of our customers’ privacy.”
“We have also reported this incident to the coroner’s board for investigation.”