Decapitated Baby Lawsuit: Homicide Ruling and $2.25M Verdict

The Georgia decapitated baby lawsuit refers to two separate cases brought by Jessica Ross and Treveon Taylor Sr. after their son, Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr., was decapitated during delivery at Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, Georgia, on July 9, 2023. A Fulton County jury awarded the parents $2.25 million in June 2025 against the pathologist who posted autopsy footage of the infant to Instagram. Their medical malpractice case against the hospital and the delivering obstetrician remains pending.¹

What Happened During the Delivery

Jessica Ross, then 20, went into labor at Southern Regional Medical Center on July 9, 2023. During delivery, the baby experienced shoulder dystocia, a complication in which the infant’s shoulders lodge in the birth canal. The parents’ lawsuit alleges that the attending obstetrician, Dr. Tracey St. Julian, tried to complete a vaginal delivery by pulling on the baby’s head and neck with “ridiculously excessive force” and failed to move to a cesarean section in time despite the parents’ requests.²³

After roughly three hours of attempted vaginal delivery, Ross was taken to an operating room. The baby’s body was delivered surgically; the head was delivered vaginally.⁴

The parents say they did not learn what had happened for several days. According to their complaint, nurses would not let them hold the baby and instead presented the infant wrapped in a blanket with the head “propped on top of his body” to make it appear attached. The complaint also alleges hospital staff discouraged an autopsy and pressed the parents to cremate the remains. Ross and Taylor say they found out only when a funeral home contacted the county medical examiner’s office about the condition of the body.³⁴

The Homicide Ruling

On February 6, 2024, the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the baby’s death a homicide. The cause of death was listed as “fracture-dislocation with complete transection of the upper cervical (C1-C2) spine and spinal cord,” with shoulder dystocia and arrested labor among the contributing factors.⁵

A homicide finding by a medical examiner means a death caused by the actions of another person. It is not a criminal charge. The Clayton County Police Department opened an investigation, and the district attorney’s office said it was awaiting the file before deciding on charges. As of mid-2025, no criminal charges had been publicly announced against Dr. St. Julian or any other hospital staff.⁴

The Malpractice Case Against the Hospital and Doctor

On August 9, 2023, Ross and Taylor sued Southern Regional Medical Center, Dr. St. Julian, and several nurses in Clayton County. The complaint alleges negligence, gross negligence, fraud, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Dr. St. Julian’s practice, Premier Womens’ OB/GYN, LLC, was also named.⁶

Southern Regional denied the allegations. The hospital said Dr. St. Julian was not and had never been its employee, and it took the position that the infant died in utero before delivery and decapitation. That account conflicts with both the family’s version and the medical examiner’s findings. The suit seeks a jury trial and monetary damages, including the value of the baby’s life and lost lifetime earnings. As of June 2025, the case was still pending with no trial date publicly reported.⁶¹

The $2.25 Million Verdict Against the Pathologist

The resolved piece of the litigation involves a second defendant. Shortly after the death, the parents hired Dr. Jackson Gates, a metro Atlanta pathologist and founder of Medical Diagnostic Choices, to perform a private autopsy under a $2,500 agreement. Two days later, Gates posted video of the autopsy to Instagram, showing what the New York Times described as “graphic and grisly detail” of the infant’s severed head and internal organs.⁷

Ross and Taylor said they never authorized any recording. They sent a cease-and-desist letter in August 2023, but Gates kept posting and reposting the material. He defended the posts as serving “educational purposes” and said he wanted to “inform the public of some of the barbarism going on in medicine.” He argued he had not identified the patient and that HIPAA did not require consent when he was reporting what he called a crime or public health concern.⁸⁹

In September 2023, the parents filed a separate lawsuit in Fulton County against Gates and his laboratory, alleging invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and fraud. Gates did not respond to the complaint, and in March 2024 Fulton County Judge Jane Morrison found him and his business liable by default.¹⁰

A three-day trial on damages followed. On June 18, 2025, a Fulton County jury awarded Ross and Taylor $2.25 million: $2 million in compensatory damages and $250,000 in punitive damages, which the parents’ legal team described as the maximum punitive award allowed under Georgia law. Gates told a local news outlet that no attorney would represent him.⁹¹¹

Where Things Stand

The malpractice lawsuit against Southern Regional Medical Center and Dr. St. Julian is still in litigation. No criminal charges have been publicly announced against anyone involved in the delivery, though the Clayton County police investigation was described as active when last reported. Dr. St. Julian’s medical license status and any disciplinary action have not been publicly confirmed in the available reporting. The $2.25 million verdict against Dr. Gates stands, though whether the parents will be able to collect it is not yet known.¹

1
Atlanta News First. Parents of Decapitated Baby Awarded Millions Against Doctor After Autopsy Photos Posted Online
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BBC News. Georgia Baby Decapitated During Birth
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CNN. Georgia Baby Death Lawsuit
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ABC News. Baby Decapitated During Labor at Georgia Hospital Ruled Homicide
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FOX 10. Death of Baby Decapitated During Birth Ruled Homicide
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FOX 5 Atlanta. Infant’s Decapitation During Delivery at Southern Regional Medical Center Ruled a Homicide
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New York Times. Georgia Decapitated Baby Lawsuit
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NBC News. Jury Awards Parents of Decapitated Baby Over Autopsy on Social Media
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FOX 5 Atlanta. Atlanta Doctor Must Pay $2.5M for Posting Decapitated Baby’s Autopsy Video
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Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta Doctor Hit With $2M Verdict for Instagram Posts of Decapitated Baby
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WSB-TV. Doctor Found Liable for Posting Photos of Decapitated Baby Says No Attorney Will Represent Him