Parents Sue Pathologist Who Allegedly Shared Decapitated Baby’s Autopsy On Instagram

The parents of a baby boy who was decapitated during birth are suing an independent pathologist who allegedly posted the autopsy results on Instagram.

Jessica Ross and her boyfriend, Treveon Isaiah Taylor, have launched their second lawsuit related to their late son, HuffPost reports. In August, they filed a suit against the OB-GYN who delivered their baby, accusing her of not following emergency protocols after the baby’s shoulder became stuck and excessive force was applied that severed their son’s head from his body.

One month later, on Sept. 1, attorneys for Ross and Taylor filed a second suit accusing pathologist Dr. Jackson Gates of invasion of privacy and fraud after Gates posted videos of the autopsy the couple asked him to perform to his 11,000 followers on Instagram without their permission.

“After suffering one of the most heartbreaking losses any family could ever endure, Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor, Jr. had salt poured into their unfathomable emotional wounds when they discovered that video of their baby’s very graphic medical examination had been made public by the very doctor they entrusted to conduct the autopsy,” the couple’s attorneys said in a statement.

The couple paid Gates $2,500 to conduct an autopsy after accusing the doctor who delivered their baby, the hospital, and staff of trying to hide the cause of death from them. Gates removed the initial autopsy he shared online, but posted two more videos of the baby’s autopsy on July 21 that graphically depicted the baby’s head, body, brain, and organs, the lawsuit states.

As a result, Ross and Taylor felt “shock, anger, humiliation and outrage” after learning about the videos and sent Gates a cease and desist letter on Aug. 10, demanding he take them down, the lawsuit states. Since the lawsuit was filed, Gates posted a video expressing his pride in using his social media to educate and counsel patients.

“I will never divulge the identity or disclose the identity of any live patient or even deceased patients that come to my care,” Gates said.