A Christian couple who let their baby die of jaundice last year because they believe 'God makes no mistakes' has had their newborn girl taken from them by the state
Joshua, 37, and Rachel Piland, 31, were charged with involuntary manslaughter in September after they refused to seek medical treatment for their daughter Abigail, who died in February 2017
But once again the Lansing, Michigan couple has refused to take their child to the hospital - and now the state is hoping to terminate their parental rights
State officials decided to take immediate action, seizing Verity from her parents just hours after she was born
Verity was rushed to a local hospital and received lifesaving blood transfusions, according to the Lansing State Journal
A complaint was filed with Child Protective Services the same day Verity was born, July 17, and officials cited 'anticipatory neglect' for seizing the child
'There are current concerns for the safety and well-being of the newborn baby as the previous concerns which brought this family to the court's attention have yet to be rectified,' a CPS investigator wrote in a petition to the court
Verity was taken to a hospital within hours of her birth, where doctors found she was 'significantly jaundiced' and had high levels of bilirubin in her system
While unconjugated bilirubin is not an issue for most newborns, high levels can cause lifelong neurological problems or even death if left untreated
Doctors also suspected that Verity might have Rh disease, a condition that is caused by incompatibility in the blood between a mother and her fetus
If the mother is Rh-negative but her baby is Rh-positive, her body will try to fight off the foreign red blood cells by producing antibodies
These Rh antibodies can cross the placenta and reach the fetus, destroying the newborn's blood cells and potentially resulting in jaundice
Rh disease can be treated in the fetus and 95 percent of babies who are born with severe Rh disease survive
But a blood transfusion did not help Verity, so the newborn had to undergo an exchange transfusion - meaning her entire blood supply was replaced
Aaron Kerr, Rachel Piland's brother, said the infant has been hospitalized for the last two weeks but is recovering
'She's still being evaluated and checked. We're hopeful that there are no long-term complications, but I don't think we can say 100 percent yet whether that's the case,' he said
Abigail Piland was also jaundiced and had high levels of bilirubin at the time of her death
Rachel gave birth to Abigail, via midwife, at her home on February 6.At the time of her birth, Abigail appeared healthy and there were no concerns surrounding her well-being
But when the midwife, who had helped deliver Rachel and Joshua's two older children, returned to the home the next day, she told Rachel that Abigail appeared jaundiced and encouraged her to take the baby to the doctor
'She told Rachel the baby could suffer brain damage or die if not properly cared for,' Lansing Police Detective Peter Scaccia said
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Woman, 25 is charged with murder 'after kidnapping baby boy. Share this article Share Scaccia said that Rachel refused to seek any medical treatment for Abigail, stating 'God makes no mistakes' and that she believed in the power of prayer
But the baby's condition only worsened and, on February 8, Abigail started to cough up blood
Instead of taking the infant to the doctor, Rachel put her child 'near a window wearing just a diaper and utilizing a hair dryer to keep her warm,' Scaccia told the Lansing State Journal
At one point, Rachel told her mother, Rebecca Kerr, what the midwife said after Rebecca commented that Abigail's skin was not the right color
But instead of going to the hospital with her newborn, Rachel listened to sermons
On the morning of February 9, Rachel and her mother noticed blood coming out of Abigail's nose and that she was struggling to breathe
Kerr begged her daughter to call for help, but Rachel refused. By 11am that same day, Abigail was dead
Rachel told her husband Joshua, who attempted one rescue breath. He later told detectives he didn't want to try CPR because he didn't know how to perform it on children
The couple then brought Abigail upstairs to 'pray for her' and asked fellow church members to come to their home and 'pray for her resurrection'
They never called the police. Authorities only learned of the child's death after Rachel's brother called from California and reported it
When police arrived they discovered the dead infant and people praying over her body
The autopsy later confirmed that Abigail died from unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia and kernicterus - conditions related to jaundice
If treated she would have more than likely survived, Scaccia said.Rachel and Joshua later told the court that they understood the newborn's symptoms but chose to 'believe in the word of God over the symptoms,' records show
The court also heard they believe they'll be reunited with their baby girl because they think she will be 'resurrected
' Rachel and Joshua were each charged with a single count of involuntary manslaughter and released after posting $75,000 bond on September 21
They each face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. A trial date has not yet been set
It remains unclear if they will face additional charges related to Verity. Their two older sons, aged two and three, were placed in the care of Rachel's parents after the couple refused to stop physically disciplining them
A separate trial to determine whether the Pilands' custody rights to their two sons will be permanently terminated has been delayed for months
The state's Department of Health and Human Services is moving to terminate their parental rights to Verity
The pretrial is scheduled for August 9.
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