Cincinnati hospital apologizes after disposing newborn's body

The University of Cincinnati Medical Center apologized this week for the lost remains of a newborn boy, according to a report from The Cincinnati Enquirer.

The body of the premature baby, one of a set of twins delivered Sept. 14 at the hospital, was inadvertently disposed of, authorities said, according to the report.

Cincinnati police said a woman delivered a boy and a girl at the hospital, according to the report. The girl was a stillborn and the boy lived for about an hour and died.

The stillborn girl's remains were found, but the boy's body was lost, police Capt. Terri Theetge said, according to the report. Police helped employees of a private company perform the search Friday to Sunday at Rumpke landfill in suburban Cincinnati, but the search was unsuccessful.

Investigators determined that no criminal action took place.

"This situation is a tragedy for this family, and we are deeply sorry that we have added to their suffering," Richard Lofgren, MD, president and CEO of UC Health, said in a statement, according to the report. "This situation was unacceptable and we make no excuses. We have offered our deepest sympathy to the family and any support or resources we can make available to them. I promise the family that we will never let a situation like this happen again."

 

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