Baby dies after medical care withheld

Denver Post, March 3, 1999
By Nancy Lofholm

Warren T. Glory, born Feb. 10, died of cardiac arrest Sunday after aninfectious disease was not treated, authorities said Tuesday. His 23- and22-year-old parents, Joshua and Mindy Glory, are members of the GeneralAssembly Church of the First Born, a strict fundamentalist sect with memberswho use prayer to heal and do not believe in doctors or medicine. The Gloryshave two other children.

Warren is the fourth Western Slope child of Church of the First Born parentsto die after the parents withheld medical care.

Investigators think the parents withheld medical treatment because of theirreligious beliefs, said Mesa County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman JanetPrell.

Mesa County sheriff's deputies and Grand Junction Fire Department rescueworkers were called to the Glorys rural home at 2987 Globe Willow Lane onSunday evening on a report of an infant in cardiac arrest. They were unableto revive the 18-day-old infant, and he was pronounced dead at St. Mary'sHospital.

Prell said her office is investigating and is awaiting autopsy resultsbefore turning the matter over to the district attorney's office forpossible prosecution.

Mesa County pathologist Dr. Rob Kurtzman said his autopsy was not complete.But he said the child died from a natural disease process and showed nosigns of physical abuse. He said he must analyze more test results before herules on the manner of death.

Kurtzman said others who came in contact with the child could be "at highrisk'' of contracting the infectious disease that led to Warren's death. Heis not naming the disease at this time, but he said it is medicallytreatable.

In the other cases involving the General Assembly Church of the First Born:

In 1982, 14-year-old Travis Drake of Grand Junction died several days afterhis appendix ruptured. His parents were not charged because a social workerhad visited the boy several days before he died and said his condition hadimproved.

In 1987, newborn Lucas Long of Delta died hours after his breech birth atthe home of his parents. Charges were not filed because there were questionswhether Lucas would have survived even with medical care.

In 1990, 7-year-old Angela Sweet of Olathe died following a two-month caseof appendicitis. She died of massive infection after her appendix ruptured.Her parents were charged with felony child abuse.

A fifth death of a Grand Junction infant was never publicized because themanner of death was listed as "natural.'' In that case, Kurtzman said, thebaby would have died even with medical treatment.

Kurtzman said he has seen other cases of adult members of the church dyingwithout medical care, but Colorado law applies only to withholding medicaltreatment from minors.

The Church of the First Born has several hundred members in the Grand andUncompahgre valleys. The church the Glorys attend is in a rural area nearClifton.

The Glorys and church elders will hold graveside services for Warren Glorytoday at the Pea Green Cemetery near Delta.

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