Staff Reports
The Bartholomew County Coroner’s office is awaiting toxicology and histology test results before releasing a cause of death for a 2-month-old infant girl who was reportedly not breathing while at the second floor of the county courthouse Tuesday afternoon.
Toxicology is about substances within the body while histology is the study of the microscopic structure of tissues.
Deputies, Columbus police and firefighters and an ambulance were sent to the courthouse around 2 p.m. about the report, and the infant was later transported by ambulance to Columbus Regional Hospital.
Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting said the infant was declared dead at the hospital by Chief Deputy Coroner Charlie DeWeese. Nolting said the baby had congenital conditions that would result in a shorter life span due to the severity of her medical conditions.
Family members were with the infant on the courthouse second floor, which has court offices and courtrooms, when the infant had breathing problems.
The child’s mother, Jaedyn Clayburn, said her infant had been placed in Department of Child Services custody earlier after a complaint was filed against her that alleged she gave the baby THC oil, which she denied, saying she had given the baby CBD oil to alleviate symptoms from the congenital ailments.
The infant’s condition included missing parts of her brain that controlled swallowing, requiring that she be suctioned at times when being fed.
Clayburn said she was told by doctors the child might live from two months to 10 years, but the genetic abnormalities would result in a shorter life span for the girl.
The child had been brought to the courthouse Tuesday for a court hearing about custody regarding the DCS complaint, her mother said.
