Parents 'put hopes in olive oil and prayer' instead of doctors as baby lay dying

A couple who relied on praying and olive oil when their two-day-old baby stopped eating and started to turn blue have been jailed following the child’s death.

Blair and Taylor Edwards were each convicted of first-degree felony criminal mistreatment after they failed to seek proper medical help for theirailing son, who died two days after he was born in June 2023. Blair, 37, and Taylor, 32, from the US state of Oregon, did not alert medics when they noticed their new baby, Hayden, had stopped eating and began to turn pale blue, prosecutors said.

Instead the couple relied on praying over their son’s body and anointing him with olive oil, the courtheard. “They hoped that within the hands of God, he would be OK,” Deputy District Attorney Russell Amos said.

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He added: “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.”

The court heard evidence from a medical examiner that it was likely that baby Hayden would have lived if his parents had consulted a doctor, saying “the statistics suggest strongly that there was a very, very high probability that by taking Hayden to the doctor, he could have survived."

As he lay dying, the child “was surrounded in a bedroom by people who loved him very much,” the medical examiner told the hearing. However “it’s those same people who sat there for over five hours and refused to do anything to help that young child,” he added.

The couple are understood to be members of the Followers of Christ Church religious group which prioritises religious healing over medical treatments. Local broadcaster KATUreported that at least 20 children whose families belong to the church have died since 1990 due to their families prioritising faith healing over medical treatments.

Blair Edwards expressed remorse before the court Monday, acknowledging that he and his wife were wrong to not seek medical care for their son, Hayden. He said he now encourages other members of the church to do so when necessary.

“We cannot enforce our perspective on others in our community, however, we desire that these words will be considered, including by those in our community, that the death of our son Hayden has provided this recognition that medical care for the purpose of preserving life is a value that we understand is important,” he said.

As church members looked on from the public gallery, Senior Deputy District Attorney Rusty Amos told the courtroom that the state: “will continue to prosecute members of this church or any other person who fails to seek necessary medical treatment for a child.”

Blair and Taylor, who have four children, were sentenced to 30 days in jail and will be required to regularly take their children to a doctor and maintain health insurance, while also notifying their probation officer anytime one of their children become sick or injured.