ATLANTA — Content warning: Some of the allegations mentioned in this report are graphic.
The case where parents said their baby was decapitated during a difficult birthing process has been officially ruled as a homicide, according to the Clayton County Medical Examiner's Office.
The medical examiner's office said the baby died from "a fracture-dislocation with complete transection, upper cervical spine and spinal cord."
It added that ruling the manner of death as a homicide means the death was caused by the actions of another person. At this time, there is no word on whether charges will be filed against anyone in light of the news. 11Alive reached out to police and others to find out where the case stands.
Back in August, Jessica Ross and her boyfriend, Treveon Isaiah Taylor, Sr., sued Southern Regional Medical Center following the death of their baby during delivery.
Lawyers said Ross was in labor for 10 hours. The couple was devastated after the July 9 delivery.
According to the lawsuit, there were complications during the labor, and attorneys claim the doctor applied “ridiculously excessive force” on the baby’s head and neck to try to deliver it, attorney Roderick Edmond, who is also a physician, said. Around three hours passed before the doctor took 20-year-old Ross for a C-section, legal documents said.
The lawsuit also alleged the hospital kept the manner of the baby's death a secret from the family for several days. In response to the allegations, Southern Regional Medical Center initially released a statement that due to patient privacy laws, they couldn't discuss a patient's care but offered thoughts and prayers to the family.
Shortly after the couple's initial lawsuit was announced, the hospital released another statement, denying the allegations and stating the doctor mentioned in the lawsuit is "not an employee of the hospital," adding they had "taken the appropriate steps in response to this unfortunate situation." They also clarified that they believed the baby died before it was born. Lawyers said that the evidence will show if this was the truth.
After the delivery occurred, the funeral home referred the family to a pathologist. The couple then signed a contract and paid the pathologist $2,500 to perform the private autopsy, according to the suit.
In another lawsuit filed in September, the couple alleged that the pathologist hired to perform an independent autopsy on their baby shared videos of the examination on social media.
That video was described as "graphic and grisly." It was posted on July 14. For context, the baby died on July 10. The doctor then allegedly removed the first video and posted two more videos of the examination later that month. Lawyers said the couple first learned of the videos through followers of the pathologist.
The parents are planning to speak about the case Wednesday morning, according to their attorneys.
11Alive also reached out to Clayton County Police, Southern Regional Medical Center, and others about the case.