HARRISBURG, PA — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced that a Sullivan County jury has convicted Brigitte Meckes of involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, and related offenses. The conviction stems from her failure to summon professional medical help for a newborn baby following a home birth in 2022.
Meckes, a friend of the parents, acted as a midwife during the birth on January 15, 2022. The baby soon showed signs of severe distress. Despite lacking medical qualifications, Meckes attempted unconventional treatments. The baby died two days later.
Following a three-day trial, the jury convicted Meckes on Wednesday of felony counts including involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, and endangering the welfare of a child. She was also found guilty of misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and concealing the death of a child. The judge revoked her bail immediately after the verdict.
Meckes, a resident of New York, will be sentenced at a later date.
Attorney General Henry expressed deep sorrow over the preventable tragedy. “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,” she 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.”
Evidence presented at trial included text messages showing that Meckes and the baby’s parents, Drew and Amy Hoenigke, were aware of the child’s serious condition. None of them called 9-1-1 for help.
Drew and Amy Hoenigke had previously pleaded guilty to charges related to their roles in the incident.
Senior Deputy Attorney General Jaime Keating is prosecuting the case.
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