Followers of Christ prosecutions: a timeline

The Oregonian/OregonLive and ProPublica have partnered on a series of articles in recent months about the Followers of Christ in Oregon and Idaho, focusing on the long history of parents in Followers congregations declining to seek medical care for their critically ill children and the sometimes fatal consequences.

Here is a timeline of Oregon legal cases, going back to a 1998 death that spurred changes in Oregon law.

Feb. 23, 1998: Bo Phillips, 11, dies at home of complications from diabetes. His family belonged to the Followers of Christ. The district attorney at the time declined to prosecute his parents for failing to seek medical care for the boy, citing legal immunities for faith-healers. Bo’s death touched off a debate about eliminating legal protections for parents who rely only on their faith to treat their sick or dying children.

1999: Oregon Legislature removes spiritual treatment as a defense for second-degree manslaughter and criminal mistreatment.

March 2, 2008: 15-month-old Ava Worthington dies from untreated bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection. Her parents, Raylene and Carl Brent Worthington, become the first parents prosecuted under the 1999 reforms. A Clackamas County jury convicts Carl Worthington of a single count of criminal mistreatment. Raylene Worthington is acquitted.

June 17, 2008: Neil Beagley, 16, dies from complications from an undiagnosed congenital urinary blockage. Neil’s parents, Jeffrey and Marci Beagley, are later found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in his death and sentenced to 16 months in prison.

Sept. 26, 2009: David Hickman, born eight weeks premature, dies without medical care about nine hours after birth. His parents, Dale and Shannon Hickman, are later found guilty of second-degree manslaughter and sentenced to six years and three months in prison.

2011: Parents Timothy and Rebecca Wyland are convicted of criminal mistreatment for failing to seek medical care for their infant daughter Alayna, who was born in December 2009 with a birthmark above her left eye that developed into abnormal growth of blood vessels, known as a hemangioma. The growth slowly engulfed her left eye and nearly led to blindness in that eye. The Waylands are sentenced to 90 days in jail.

2011: The Oregon Legislature does away with the spiritual defense for any crime involving a child victim.

March 5, 2017: Ginnifer Mitchell, born prematurely, dies hours after birth. Her twin sister, Evelyn, survives after Oregon City police direct her parents to take her to a hospital. Their parents, Sarah and Travis Mitchell, later plead guilty to negligent homicide and criminal mistreatment and are sentenced to six years and eight months in prison. Sarah Mitchell is Shannon Hickman’s sister. The sentence imposed on the Mitchells is the longest in a case involving a child death in the Followers of Christ.

2021: The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office receives information about an ailing 13-year-old named Emmett Heimbigner who is having trouble breathing stemming from an acute case of COVID-19, court records show. He is taken to a hospital at the urging of law enforcement and is diagnosed with renal and heart failure, among other life-threatening complications. His condition requires dialysis and a blood transfusion. Emmett’s parents, Brittney and Jake Heimbigner, are convicted of criminal mistreatment and sentenced to 10 days in jail. Their agreement with prosecutors require them to seek ongoing medical treatment for Emmett’s chronic conditions.

June 24, 2023: Hayden Edwards dies. Born four days earlier, he had stopped eating, struggled to breathe and turned blue. The medical examiner ruled Hayden died from hyperbilirubinemia, an excessive amount of bilirubin in the blood, which leads to jaundice, authorities said. His parents, Blair and Taylor Edwards, later plead guilty to criminal mistreatment and are sentenced to 30 days in jail.