[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
A two-day-old child is dead after his parents refused any medical attention that could have saved his life — and you are going to be absolutely shocked at how light their prison sentence is.
Back on June 24, 2023, a baby boy named Hayden Edwards was born in Clackamas County, Oregon. He was healthy and thriving at first — but two days later, he got sick. Nearly without warning, the baby boy began showing signs of respiratory distress. Quickly, he started turning blue, and he was very clearly struggling to breathe. However, his dad Blair Edwards and mom Taylor Edwards, pictured above in their mugshots, decided not to go to the hospital or seek out any help from a doctor.
Blair and Taylor are members of the Followers Of Christ church, which is a small Christian denomination in Oregon that does not believe in modern medicine. So, instead of seeking out a doctor or hospital who could help with Hayden’s increasingly severe health issues, they did nothing but pray… and offer up olive oil.
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No, seriously. As Hayden’s condition continued to get worse, Blair and Taylor called on some other relatives who came over and assisted them in smearing the baby with olive oil. They also offered cold cloths and body rubs in an attempt to save the baby — even long after his breathing had stopped and he had died.
Sadly but predictably, the efforts failed. And about nine hours after Hayden first went into respiratory distress, he was officially pronounced dead. Now, Blair and Taylor are facing prison time after being convicted earlier this year on one count each of criminal mistreatment, which is a first-degree felony.
But at their sentencing hearings this week, the husband and wife were given — get this — just 30 DAYS in jail to go along with five years of supervised probation. As part of that probation, they are legally required to seek medical care for their four other kids. But still… only 30 days?! Seriously??
Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that at the couple’s sentencing hearing this week, Clackamas County Deputy District Attorney Russell Amos said this:
“The state would suggest that within the hands of God, that God gave us the intellect and intelligence to produce high end medical treatment and science. And nonetheless, they put their hopes in olive oil.”
Amen!!! Literally.
For what it’s worth, it sounds like the couple may seem to understand a little about what they did. In court, Blair acknowledged on the record that he and his wife “should have reached out for medical care when Hayden went into distress.” Per local news outlet KGW, the convicted husband said:
“We accept the need to have our children have the necessary medical care for well-being and health.”
Yeah, no s**t, dude…
Like we said up top, this Followers Of Christ church is infamous up in Oregon. Per the US Sun, their members have been brought to court at least six times in the past couple decades for having neglected to give health care to someone in dire need. WTF…
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
[Image via Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office]
The post Parents Who Watched Newborn Baby Die, Offering Only Prayers & Olive Oil, Get SHOCKING Prison Sentence appeared first on Perez Hilton.
