Midwife faces charges in ‘negligent’ death of infant, documents say

A midwife is facing charges following the death of an Omaha infant, according to court documents. 

On June 15, paramedics were sent to an Omaha home where a 25-year-old woman was giving birth, according to an Omaha police report. The report said paramedics found the woman on all fours with another woman, identified as Angela M. Hock, holding a partially delivered baby. 

Hock, using medical scissors, tried unsuccessfully to deliver the baby, which was eventually delivered by squad personnel while en route to the emergency room, the report said. The baby was taken to the NICU and placed on the life support. 

A UNMC doctor told police that the baby’s mother had reported that Hock had been assisting with delivery of the child, which was breech, and that she had been trying to deliver the baby for an hour before 911 was called, the report said. 

The doctor said the baby had been without oxygen and, as a result, suffered swelling to the brain, according to court documents. The baby, named Vera, was pronounced dead on June 17. 

An arrest warrant was issued July 1 for Hock, who faces a felony negligent child abuse resulting in death charge, according to court documents.

Hock told Vera’s mother she had training in delivering breech babies, and that the child’s mother had paid Hock three to four thousand dollars for her services, the police report said. 

The on call doctor at UNMC told police that it was her medical opinion that the child birth was handled “negligently which resulted in the death of the baby,” the report said. The doctor told police the death of the child could have been prevented had appropriate medical care been provided in a timely manner, according to the report, and that the actions taken by Hock were “performed negligently.” 

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said Hock does not hold any medical or certified nurse midwife licenses in Nebraska, the police report said. 

Hock operates “Nebraska Birth Keeper” and an associated website, according to the report.