Unlicensed Midwife Found Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter in 2022 Death of Baby

A woman holds the foot of a baby in a file photo. Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images

A jury in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, this week found Brigitte Meckes guilty of several charges, including involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault, following the death of a newborn, according to a statement from Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry.

The case revolves around Meckes’s involvement in a home birth in January 2022, during which she acted as an unlicensed midwife, according to the release.

On Jan. 20, 2022, Pennsylvania State Police responded to the home of Amy and Drew Hoenigke in Sullivan County following a report of an infant’s death, according to a statement at the time Meckes was charged.

Upon investigation, authorities determined that the newborn had died three days earlier, but the parents delayed contacting authorities. Their decision stemmed from fear that their 2-year-old child might be taken away by child protective services.

The newborn was delivered at home on or around Jan. 15, 2022. Meckes, a family friend, was present at the birth and acted as a midwife. Authorities said she had experience in the medical field but lacked a medical license.

Shortly after birth, the baby exhibited severe distress.

Messages between the defendants described the baby as struggling to breathe and turning blue. In an attempt to assist the infant, Amy Hoenigke and Meckes used a peppermint oil infuser and attempted to create a makeshift breathing tube from a water bottle, according to the statement. Their efforts failed and the newborn died approximately two days after birth.

Expert testimony indicated that the newborn’s symptoms warranted immediate professional medical attention, which might have saved the child’s life. The failure of the defendants to seek such care resulted in what authorities described as needless suffering.

Arrest records for the three individuals involved, including Meckes, showed that the mother and Meckes had made a pact to not tell the police the truth. They did this allegedly to avoid them finding out about another toddler child of the Hoenigke couple that they did not want to be discovered and taken from their custody, according to the arrest records.

After a three-day trial, the jury found Meckes guilty on several charges. These included felony charges of involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, and endangering the welfare of a child.

Additionally, she was found guilty of misdemeanor charges, including reckless endangerment and concealing the death of a child. Following the verdict, the presiding judge revoked Meckes’s bail. She is expected to be sentenced at a later date.

“The death of this purely innocent baby boy is a tragedy beyond words—a tragedy that is compounded by the fact that it could have been prevented,” the attorney general said. “This defendant, along with the child’s parents, knew the baby was in serious medical trouble and did nothing to help him. Instead, they allowed him to die and only contacted emergency responders after the baby was deceased.”

Attorneys for Meckes did not respond to a request for comment by The Epoch Times prior to publication.