UPDATED::Parents face charges in connection to Calgary infant’s death | CTV Calgary News

UPDATE:: Calgary couple Jeromie and Jennifer Clark found guilty in their toddler’s death

A jury has convicted a Calgary couple in the death of their 14-month-old son who never saw a doctor until the day before he died in hospital of a staph infection.

Jeromie and Jennifer Clark were found guilty of criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide the necessaries of life for their son John.
,,,

The forensic pathologist's report said John was malnourished and died from a staph infection.

The trial heard that John died the day after he was brought to hospital, where he had a seizure and two cardiac arrests.

The Clarks' lawyers argued doctors at the Alberta Children's Hospital were to blame because they raised the boy's sodium and fluid levels too aggressively. They also argued he was neither malnourished nor septic.

And people wondered why, this story when it first hit the news, was such a big deal

Following an investigation into the death of a 14 month old boy in November of 2013, Calgary police have charged the child’s biological parents.

On the afternoon of November 28, 2013, the child, John Clark, was admitted to the Foothills Hospital in Calgary after his parents sought medical attention at the insistance of a family member.

John was transported to the Alberta Children's Hospital for additional medical treatment but passed away in hospital the following day.

An autopsy and additional tests confirmed the child’s death was the result of a Staph infection complicated by malnutrition.

According to police, the parents, Jeromie and Jennifer, attempted to conceal the infant's failing health.

"We believe that the family followed a strict dietary regiment based on their beliefs," said CPS S/Sgt. Doug Andrus. The Clarks are strict vegans and Seventh Day Adventists.

[,,,]
According to CPS S/Sgt. Doug Andrus, the child was not born in a hospital and received no medical attention from professionals during his brief life.

Pastor Randy Barber says the extended Clark family has worshipped at the Central Seventh Day Adventist Church in northwest Calgary for years, but Jeromie Clark and his wife stopped attending services without explanation.

"He became very radical, very controlling with his wife," recollects Pastor Barber. "They disappeared and we haven't seen them for about eight years."

Parents face charges in connection to Calgary infant’s death | CTV Calgary News