Parents who believed in faith-healing allowed newborn to die
Share this @internewscast.com

Left to right: Joshua and Rachel Piland (Lansing Police Department).

A Michigan couple, devoted to the supernatural belief of faith-healing in religion, are set to serve at least 20 years in prison following the avoidable death of their newborn daughter, Abigail, who lived only 61 hours.

In late March, Rachel Piland, 38, and Joshua Piland, 44, were found guilty by a jury on charges of second-degree murder and first-degree child abuse. On Wednesday, the couple was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison by Ingham County Circuit Judge James Jamo.

“This case was both challenging and lengthy,” stated Ingham County Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor Bill Crino in March. “Throughout the process, Abigail Piland’s life has served as a beacon to navigate the intricate legal and factual challenges we encountered.”

Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.

Late on Feb. 6, 2017, Abigail was born at the family’s home in Lansing with the help of a midwife, as Law&Crime previously reported. She died on Feb. 9, 2017, after the midwife noticed the girl was jaundiced and recommended a hospital visit, which the parents declined. Rachel Piland’s mother was also there for the baby’s birth – her attempt at a medical intervention was dismissed by the couple as well.

That hospital visit, however, likely would have saved her life.

Abigail died from a rare condition known as Rh disease or Rh incompatibility, a rare form of anemia. The condition — essentially blood incompatibility between mother and child — could have easily been treated if Rachel Piland had obtained a necessary prenatal injection. Even after she was born, doctors could have saved her life.

But the couple’s faith precluded medical treatment.

When the Pilands were warned about Abigail’s impending death, Rachel Piland told a midwife, “God makes no mistakes,” according to the Michigan Free Press. The couple was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter over their refusal to seek medical attention for the newborn. Those words to the midwife were later relayed to a detective, noting that the couple believed in the “power of prayer.”

Their charges were later upgraded.

During a trial spanning several days, jurors heard how the couple prayed over the child’s dead body instead of calling 911, according to the Lansing State Journal. Law enforcement only made their way to the residence some nine hours later, after being called by a family member who lives in California.

And in court, the couple did not waver.

“We believed (praying) was the best thing we could possibly do for her,” Rachel Piland testified. “Even if she had died from some kind of struggle, we wouldn’t have called 911.”

The state countered that personal health care decisions are not the same as taking care of children, who must be kept safe.

Defense attorneys tried a different path. They argued the couple put their daughter in a sunlit window to help her jaundice and tried to do what they could on their own before she died.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Man Allegedly Poured Hot Water on Vulnerable Person, Police Report

Background: The building located on the 5300 block of South Rock Ridge…

Mother Accidentally Spills Medication on Play Mat, Leading to Baby’s Hospitalization: Police Report

Inset: Cheyenne Pope (Duval County Jail). Background: UF Health Hospital in Jacksonville,…

Police Report: Young Child Escapes Alleged Abuse from Father and Stepmother

Share copy link Incident: In Moore, Oklahoma, a 6-year-old boy was discovered…

Tragic Incident: Woman Fatally Shot by Man in Front of Her Daughters

Background: News footage shows Charles Lee Dawson (far right) with his attorney…

Police: Man Found Holding Child and Elderly Woman in Deplorable Living Conditions

A June 2024 photo depicts the Muncie, Indiana house where Daniel Good…

Suspect in Grandmother’s Fatal Hit-and-Run Surrenders to Police

Background: Image from a surveillance camera shared by police showing the vehicle…

Dad Faces Trial Over 12-Year-Old Diabetic Daughter’s Death

Inset left to right: Ashley Bredhold, Brent Bredhold (Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office),…

Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Murdering Second Wife, 41 Years After First Wife’s Death Conviction

A 68-year-old Massachusetts man was sentenced to 25 years to life in…

Florida Teen Stages Own Kidnapping, Shoots Himself in Leg to Maintain Hoax

A Florida teen who claimed he’d been shot and abducted by four…

Man Accused of Shooting Gun at Bar During Cowboys Game

Inset: David Callum (North Richland Hills Police Department). Background: The sports bar…

Tragic Incident: Teen Mother Fatally Shot by Boyfriend in Front of Child, Police Report

Left inset: Tyairz Glover (Marion County Sheriff’s Office). Right inset: LaNya Anderson…

Patient Faces Charges for Alleged Stabbing of Doctor in Sydney

A Sydney doctor has suffered serious injuries after allegedly being stabbed by…