Attorneys for the family of a baby decapitated at birth are speaking out after the Clayton County Medical Examiner ruled the newborn’s death a homicide.

“We just want justice for our son. They lied to us. They didn’t’ let us touch him. We don’t like it. We just want justice for our son,” said Treveon Taylor, Sr, the late boy’s father.

On Tuesday, the medical examiner’s office released the cause of death of Treveon Taylor Jr., almost seven months after his mother Jessica Ross, 20, experienced complications during the birthing process. 

According to an Aug. 2023 lawsuit filed on behalf of the newborn’s parents, the baby’s shoulders got stuck in the vaginal canal, at which point a doctor allegedlyperformed a cesarean section too late and applied “excessive tension” on the baby’s head, causing it to detach from the body.

“What caused the baby’s death was the trauma to the neck, the doctor pulling on the neck and essentially breaking the neck,” said Roderick Edmond, an attorney representing the Clayton County couple.

The Clayton County couple has filed a civil lawsuit against the doctor involved, Dr. Tracey St. Julian, Southern Regional Medical Center and the nurses involved in the childbirth.

The medical examiner’s office stated the cause of Treveon Taylor’s death as a “fracture dislocation with complete transection (to the) upper cervical spine and spinal cord.” His death was caused by shoulder dystocia, arrest of labor, and fetal entrapment in the birth canal, according to the official report.

The medical examiner also said pregnancy-induced diabetes and premature rupture of membranes contributed to his death and that Treveon’s death was ultimately caused by the “actions of another person.”

The negligence and fraud suit filed nearly a month after the incident names several defendants, including the hospital, a doctor, several nurses, and the medical group at large, a statement from law firm Edmond & Lindsay, LLP said.

Atlanta News First went by the doctor’s office where St. Julian works, but staff members said she was not available for comment.

Antonio Veal, the attorney representing St. Julian, refuted many of the claims in the recent medical examiner report.

“On behalf of Dr. St. Julian, we reject the assertion that the injury suffered during this tragic event happened before the demise of the baby. The official autopsy performed by the GBI did not classify a manner of death and stated that there was no sign of life upon delivery, Veal said in a statement. “Dr. St. Julian was faced with a dire obstetrical emergency where the mother’s life was in peril as well as the baby’s. Once it became clear that the baby did not survive the underlying severe shoulder dystocia (an unpreventable and unpredictable complication of delivery), the priority shifted to saving the mother’s life, which was thankfully accomplished.”

“The separation of the head from the fetal body occurred post-mortem and any assertion to the contrary is false. Although tragic, that rare outcome has been reported in the medical literature and can happen in the absence of any wrongdoing by the physician which is the case here.”

Family members claim the doctor did not tell the mother and father what had happened at the time. Instead, hospital staff allegedly refused to let them hold the baby after death. They showed the parents Treveon wrapped tightly in a blanket with his head propped on top, a statement said. It also said staff pressured the couple to cremate the remains and told them an autopsy wasn’t warranted.


The couple alleges they did not know about the decapitation until four days after delivery when they received a call from the Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home.

“I just felt a sense of urgency to say, hey listen, this is not right, this is not right. Never seen it before,” Sylvania Watkins, general manager of the Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home, told Atlanta News First in August.

Watkins said she found it peculiar to receive a decapitated baby from a hospital and not the medical examiner’s office or law enforcement.

The Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office, which was also contacted by the funeral home, launched an investigation into the matter shortly after.

Despite the homicide ruling, the medical examiner’s office said it would be up to the district attorney to pursue formal charges relating to the investigation.

Atlanta News First reached out to Southern Regional Medical Center for a statement regarding the homicide ruling. A spokesperson said they were not able to comment due to “current litigation.”

In August, the medical center shared the following statement, denying allegations made by the family and adding that they were not able to discuss details surrounding the birth due to HIPAA laws:

Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the family and all those impacted by this tragic event. Our prayers also remain with the dedicated team of physicians, nurses, and staff at Southern Regional Medical Center who cared for this patient. As our deepest sympathies remain with the family, Southern Regional Medical Center denies the allegations of wrongdoing in the Complaint referencing the hospital. Due to patient privacy laws and HIPAA, we are unable to discuss the care and treatment of specific patients, but we can state this unfortunate infant death occurred in utero prior to the delivery and decapitation. The hospital voluntarily reported the death to the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office and is cooperating with all investigations. Since this matter is in litigation, we cannot provide additional statements.

Southern Regional Medical Center (Aug. 2023)