Rachel Joy Piland, 30, and her husband, Joshua Barry Piland, 36, have been charged of involuntary manslaughter after the couple chose to refuse medical treatment for sick baby. The newborn died from medical complications.
“She indicated to the midwife that the baby was fine”
Infant Abigail Piland was born in the Piland’s home in Lansing, Michigan, in the US.
According to the midwife, who previously helped deliver two of Rachel’s children, Abigail was healthy when she was born. The next day however, her assessment changed after seeing Abigail’s jaundiced skin. She advised the parents to immediately take Abigail to a pediatrician or to the E.R.
A detective shared, “Rachel declined to seek any medical treatment for Abigail, stating ‘God makes no mistakes.’ She indicated to the midwife that the baby was fine.”
The midwife scheduled another appointment for the next day, but Rachel cancelled it.
She didn’t allow the child’s grandmother to call for help
Two days later, Abigail’s mother and grandmother noticed that she was bleeding from her nose, had problems breathing, and wasn’t eating. Rachel didn’t allow her grandmother to call for help.
A few hours after, Rachel found Abigail lifeless in a bouncy seat. She took her child to her husband who attempted to resuscitate the newborn. But he didn’t try cardio-pulmonary resuscitation as he didn’t know how to do it on children.
According to Peter Scaccia, a police detective, “They then brought Abigail upstairs to pray for her. Joshua continued to massage Abigail, attempting to get her good air. Both Josh and (Rachel) reached out to friends and fellow church members to come to their home and pray for Abigail’s resurrection but never called the police.”
Abigail’s death was reported by her uncle, Rachel’s brother. According to authorities, he “went upstairs and found a baby that had passed away and three other people praying for it.”
Source: USA Today
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