The baby delivered by emergency surgery after his mom was killed in an accident at a Steilacoom park has died, the family confirmed to KIRO 7 News.
The baby's 35-year-old mom, identified as Shannon MacLeod of Tacoma, died Monday after her 6-year-old son accidentally put the minivan in gear and ran her over in the parking lot of Sunnyside Beach Park.
Nathan Macleod and his mother’s boyfriend of 18 years, Joseph Verplank, sat grieving side-by-side while they were interviewed by KIRO 7 on Tuesday.
“One of the kids was in the car or something like that, and the kids were playing around, and one of the kids knocked the car into neutral,” Nathan said fighting back tears. “Mom was trying to stop the car.”
"I mean it's bad enough I lost my significant other," Joseph Verplank, MacLeod's fiance, told KIRO earlier this week. "But then to lose a child …"
Doctors were able to perform an emergency C-section and save the baby for a few days, but the infant died, the family announced on Friday.
"It's sad to inform everyone that our son, grandson, and baby brother is now flying high in the sky," a post on the family's GoFundMe page reads. "He is now with his Mom in which he was and is greatly loved. I love you baby brother more than anything. You are an blessing to not only us but to the whole world. God bless everyone and thank you to everyone who has helped. From my family to yours love all and god bless."
To make matters worse, the family is still trying to get back on its feet following a fire that gutted their home in December. Most are currently staying at a motel in the Tacoma area.
Cox Media Group
