Now, the Boulder County coroner's office has finally released its findings about the death of the child Wilkins named Aurora.
No cause of death for the 34-week-old fetus was stated, according to the Longmont Times-Call. Instead, the case is being characterized as an instance of "fetal demise."
The website Medscape describes fetal demise as "the loss of a fetus at any stage.... According to the 2003 revision of the Procedures for Coding Cause of Fetal Death Under ICD-10, the National Center for Health Statistics defines fetal death as 'death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of human conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy and which is not an induced termination of pregnancy. The death is indicated by the fact that after such expulsion or extraction, the fetus does not breathe or show any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles. Heartbeats are to be distinguished from transient cardiac contractions; respirations are to be distinguished from fleeting respiratory efforts or gasps.'"
"Fetal demise" is sometimes used interchangeably with "stillbirth" — and the website notes that "in the United States, the term stillbirth or fetal demise does not have a standard definition."
Wilkins has not commented on this finding, but she continues to Facebook regularly, with a particularly poignant post coming late last month, around the time Aurora was expected to join her family. She wrote:
Today I spent time in the studio making pottery. I bought a new car. I spent time with my sister. I told Dan I loved him. All the big things and all the little things add up to how we spend our life, how present we are with the pain and the joy. Nothing could have been more full of both than one week containing Mothers Day, Aurora's due date, and the two month marker of her passing. I am sometimes overwhelmed with gratitude for having spent 7 beautiful and uncertain months with her (what would the future hold I wondered) but some days are still hard. Really tough. But it's a blessing I count every day. I love you, Aurora. I always knew you would be my teacher and I am so humbled by all the lessons you've brought me. And thank you to family and friends who have supported me through this tough time and let me take all the space I need.Her most recent note, on June 13, reads simply, "Love everyone, no exceptions."
The Boulder District Attorney's Office has filed formal charges against Dynel Lane, the woman arrested on suspicion of cutting the unborn baby from the womb of Michelle Wilkins. The baby, whose name has been revealed as Aurora, did not survive.
the DA's office had previously said Lane would not be charged with murder. Instead, she's been accused of eight felonies — among them unlawful termination of a pregnancy, three counts of attempted first-degree murder, and two counts apiece of first-degree assault and second-degree assault.
Earlier, Boulder County coroner Emma Hall released a statement that read in part, "Neither the autopsy or the investigation have provided any evidence that the baby exhibited any signs of life outside of the womb, therefore the circumstance is not being considered a live birth."
This contradicted a statement contained in the arrest affidavit against Lane, which said her husband saw the child take a gasping breath.
Boulder DA Stan Garnett addressed this seeming discrepancy at a news conference that got underway following a 1:30 p.m. court appearance.
Garnett said that following "a more thorough examination of the witness by the Longmont Police Department, Aurora was still. Her mouth was open, but she was not breathing."
This account was consistent with the coroner's report, Garnett stressed.
The DA noted that he met several times with the Wilkins family in the run-up to charges being filed, including this morning, when he explained his planned actions in advance.
He also emphasized that Lane is innocent until proven guilty and revealed that "we do not know the exact cause" of Aurora's death, "as there were no injuries...to explain it." More details will be divulged once the coroner's report is completed, approximately six-to-eight weeks from now.
One more thing: Garnett made it clear that he has an ethical duty not to file charges he doesn't believe he can prove at trial, no matter his personal opinion of the law in question.
Lane will next appear in court on May 5 for a preliminary hearing.
Look below to see a Boulder Daily Camera video of Garnett's news conference about the Dynel Lane case.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.
