"Fetal distress ignored": Baby girl born stillborn in Acerra, gynecologist under investigation

Acerra – What was supposed to be the beginning of a new life has turned into a legal and human tragedy. The Nola Prosecutor's Office has placed a gynecologist under investigation for negligent termination of pregnancy following the death of a baby girl born stillborn on July 13th at a clinic in Acerra, near Naples.

This registration was necessary to allow for forensic investigations: at the request of Public Prosecutor Aurora Celico, the newborn's body was exhumed on July 30th and underwent an autopsy the following day to determine the exact cause of death.

The complaint and doubts about the route

The story began on July 20, when the little girl's parents—AP, 43, and his wife GR, 45—went to the Carabinieri to file a formal complaint. According to the initial account provided by the health facility, the tragic death was caused by strangulation caused by the umbilical cord. This explanation didn't convince the couple, who were determined to shed full light on the course of the final stage of the pregnancy, which had been normal up until that point.

Investigators are focusing their attention on an ultrasound scan and a cardiotocograph performed intramurally on July 11, two days before the baby was admitted. According to the family, represented by lawyer Francesco Petruzzi, that document reveals clear fetal distress that the doctor either ignored or underestimated.

On July 13th, when she was admitted to the clinic for delivery, the ultrasound revealed the absence of a heartbeat; the rush to an emergency C-section was futile.

The autopsy and the pressure on the report

A few days after the burial, the couple decided to contact law enforcement, handing over all their medical records. The investigation also included statements from the child's father regarding alleged contact after the investigation began:

"After the complaint, we were contacted several times by the doctor," the man said. "He insistently asked us to return the only copy of the July 11th tracing report, the one that we believed revealed fetal distress."

Autopsies and forensic reports will now determine whether professional liability was involved or whether the baby's death was due to a tragic and unforeseeable neonatal complication.