Syracuse, NY — An extremely premature newborn died earlier this month after being delivered at the jail in downtown Syracuse.
The mother was being held temporarily on a misdemeanor petit larceny warrant out of the city of Syracuse when she gave birth Aug. 2 at the South State Street facility, said Sgt. Jon Seeber, a spokesperson for the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, which operates the jail.
Seeber did not identify the woman, but said she was released from custody after giving birth.
The baby, only 23 weeks at birth (roughly 5 1/3 months), was alive when delivered but died at Upstate University Hospital after being rushed there with the mother, Seeber said.
District Attorney William Fitzpatrick declined comment, saying that the state Attorney General’s Office was involved in the case. An AG office spokesperson said that the office was “notified and aware” of the situation.
The state AG opens investigations into cases in which there’s a question as to whether a death was caused by law enforcement action or omission. At this point, there is no official AG’s office investigation into the baby’s death, the spokesperson said.
Babies born less than 28 weeks into pregnancy are considered “extremely premature” under World Health Organization standards.
Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or (315) 470-6070.