Death of Georgia Baby Decapitated During Delivery Is Ruled a Homicide

The death of a Georgia baby who was decapitated during childbirth has been ruled a homicide by the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office.

According to 11Alive, the medical examiner determined that the infant died from “a fracture-dislocation with complete transection, upper cervical spine and spinal cord.” It’s not clear whether any criminal charges will result, the television station reported.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the medical examiner found that the baby suffered from “shoulder dystocia, arrest of labor, and fetal entrapment in the birth canal.”

That comes after the family filed a lawsuit against the doctor, Tracey St. Julian, and the hospital, the Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, 20 minutes south of Atlanta. The mother is Jessica Ross, 20, and the father is Treveon Taylor Sr., according to Fox5 Atlanta.

Here’s what you need to know:

The Doctor Tried to Deliver the Baby by ‘Applying Traction to the Baby’s Head,’ Reports Say

The lawsuit, filed by Ross, 20, says that she went to the Southern Regional Medical Center on July 9, 2023, to give birth, according to Fox5 Atlanta.

She eventually became “fully dilated” and “instructed to begin pushing.”

According to Fox5 Atlanta, Ross’ lawsuit says the baby “stopped descending due to shoulder dystocia while being delivered vaginally.” At that point, Julian tried to deliver the baby through the birth canal by “applying traction to the baby’s head,” among other measures, the television station reported.

The baby became “locked in the mother’s pelvis” during the delivery, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Eventually, the doctor performed a Caesarean section but delivered only the “body and legs,” whereas the head was “delivered vaginally,” the television station reported.

The hospital pressured the family to not seek an autopsy, the lawsuit stated, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

11Alive reported that the family’s lawyers argue the doctors used “ridiculously excessive force” while trying to deliver the baby.

According to 11Alive, the hospital released a statement saying that the doctor was “not an employee of the hospital” and insisting the hospital had “taken the appropriate steps in response to this unfortunate situation” and claiming that the baby was already dead before its delivery.

The Doctor, Tracey St. Julian, Is a Specialist in Obstetrics & Gynecology

St. Julian “is an obstetrics & gynecology specialist in Riverdale, GA and has over 27 years of experience in the medical field. She graduated from University of Texas Medical Branch in 1996. She is affiliated with medical facilities Southern Regional Medical Center and Piedmont Fayette Hospital. Her office accepts new patients,” according to Health Grades.

Her LinkedIn page says she received her medical degree from the University of Texas.

The lawsuit was filed in August 2023. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the baby was a boy who was going to be named Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr.

The newspaper reported that the family’s lawsuit accuses the hospital of not “activating any emergency obstetrical protocol in a timely manner after the shoulder dystocia was recognized.” The parents were not immediately told that the baby had been decapitated during the delivery, the newspaper reported.

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