California Newborn Mistakenly Declared Dead
Paramedics left a Lodi neighborhood before dawn Thursday convinced that the prematurely born boy they found floating in a toilet was dead.
Oct. 5--LODI -- Paramedics left a Lodi neighborhood before dawn Thursday convinced that the prematurely born boy they found floating in a toilet was dead.
But no one would realize the infant was miraculously alive until he reached the hospital moments later, where a nurse heard his faint cries from underneath the cloth covering him.
That glimmer of good news was quickly muted when medical workers soon discovered traces of methamphetamine and marijuana in the infant's blood.
Now his 28-year-old mother, Jessica Gonzales, is facing two felony child endangerment charges, Lodi police Officer Dale Eubanks said.
The woman knew she was pregnant but didn't realize how far along the pregnancy was, she told police. There is no evidence yet that the circumstances surrounding the infant's dangerous birth were intentional, but police are still investigating and are trying to piece together the chain of events.
Both mother and son were listed in stable condition Thursday evening at Lodi Memorial Hospital, Eubanks said. He said the baby weighed 6 pounds.
The anonymous 911 call came at 5:13 a.m. Thursday, reporting an unresponsive woman at a home in the 300 block of South Stockton Street, Eubanks said.
Paramedics found Gonzales lying unconscious on the bathroom floor and her newborn infant boy in the toilet. Paramedics declared the infant dead at the scene, but Eubanks said he did not know why.
Paramedics wrapped the boy in cloth and took him to the hospital with his mother, where, upon arrival, a nurse began to unwrap the infant to examine him, Eubanks said.
The boy, born six weeks early, quickly showed signs of life and was crying, Eubanks said, and medical workers rushed to stabilize him. Blood tests later found the drugs in his system.
Eubanks said the infant is lucky the hospital nurse discovered he was alive. Why he was first pronounced dead still is unclear.
Emergency crews from American Medical Response and the Lodi Fire Department both responded to the scene, which is typical on medical calls, Fire Chief Mike Pretz said.
In similar situations, fire crews usually let AMR's paramedics take over because the Fire Department doesn't have trained paramedics, Pretz said. But he said he didn't have any information about how events unfolded Thursday.
AMR spokesman Jason Sorrick would not comment on the incident, citing medical patient privacy laws, and would only confirm that AMR crews responded to a medical-related call in Lodi.
Sorrick would not explain AMR's protocol in similar situations.
Lodi Memorial Hospital supervisor Lisa Shinn also declined comment.
Eubanks said it is unclear if the infant suffered any internal injuries. He also said it is not known if the mother has any other children.
A couple of men were at the Stockton Street house when paramedics responded, Eubanks said, but he did not know why, what their relation to the mother might be or whether either of them called 911. He said the men were not cooperative with investigators.
Contact reporter Daniel Thigpen at (209) 367-7427 or dthigpen@recordnet.com
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