According to the lawsuit, baby was decapitated during delivery at a Georgia hospital

Editor’s Note: Some details of this story may be illustrative.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A lawsuit filed in the Clayton County court on Wednesday alleges that healthcare professionals at Southern Regional Medical Center mistakenly delivered a baby, resulting in decapitation — and then attempted to to cover this up.

“When the uterus was open, the feet came out, the body came out, and there was no head,” said Dr. Roderick Edmond, representing the Clayton County couple.

The negligence and fraud lawsuit names multiple defendants, including the hospital, a doctor, several nurses and the entire medical group, the law firm Edmond & Lindsay, LLP said in a statement.

According to the complaint, 20-year-old Jessica Ross was giving birth on July 9 when the baby’s shoulders became lodged in the vaginal canal. A doctor allegedly performed a caesarean section too late and put “excessive tension” on the baby’s head, causing it to separate from the body.

“My clients were requesting a cesarean much earlier than they’d ever delivered while the baby was still viable,” Edmond said.

The law firm also said the doctor did not tell the mother and father, Treveon Isaiah Taylor, what happened. Instead, hospital staff reportedly refused to hold the baby after she died. They showed the baby to the parents, wrapped tightly in a blanket and with his head propped on it, a statement said. It also said staff pressured the couple to find the remains, telling them an autopsy was not warranted.

Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor are plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Southern Regional Medical Center.(Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor)

“They did everything in their power not to let the family know what actually happened that day,” said Cory Lynch, who is also representing Jessica Ross and Treveon Taylor.

The couple reportedly only found out about the beheading four days after the delivery.

“This caused immediate, deep emotional and mental anguish [the plaintiffs]… emotional and mental anguish that they continue to experience and most likely will experience for the rest of their lives,” the complaint reads.

The lawsuit seeks more than $10,000 in compensatory and punitive damages.

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According to the lawsuit, the baby was decapitated during delivery at the Clayton County Hospital

Southern Regional Medical Center said in a statement that it was unable to discuss treatment for specific patients due to HIPAA laws.

“Our sincere thoughts and prayers are with the family and everyone affected by this tragic event. Our prayers also go out to the dedicated team of doctors, nurses and staff at Southern Regional Medical Center who have cared for this patient,” the statement said. “Our goal is to provide compassionate, quality care to each and every patient, and this loss is heartbreaking.”

In an additional statement, a spokesman for Southern Regional Medical Center denied the allegations in the lawsuit.

“While our heartfelt condolences go out to the family, Southern Regional Medical Center denies the allegations in the complaint that relate to the hospital. As this matter is a judicial proceeding, we refrain from providing any further information,” the statement said. “Dr. St. Julian (named in the lawsuit) is not an employee of the hospital. The hospital has taken appropriate action in response to this unfortunate situation.”

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