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Expert: baby died of natural causes

The defense's key expert says medical problems, not a raw diet, are to blame for the baby's death.

MIAMI - A 6-month-old baby fed a diet of raw food died of natural causes brought on by a compromised immune system that was not the result of malnutrition, a medical expert testified Thursday in the manslaughter trial of the infant's parents.

"What we have is a natural disease that killed someone," said Dr. John Marraccini, a former Palm Beach County medical examiner and Harvard University-trained forensics expert who is being paid for his testimony.

Marraccini is the key expert for the defense in the trial of Joseph and Lamoy Andressohn, who face more than 17 years in prison each if convicted on charges of aggravated manslaughter and child neglect in the May 2003 death of 6-month-old Woyah.

Prosecutors contend that the infant, who weighed only about 7 pounds, or half of normal weight, died of complications from severe malnutrition because she was fed a diet of wheat grass, coconut water and almond milk. The Andressohns adhere to a lifestyle that involves only natural, uncooked foods.

Marraccini said his review of Woyah's records indicated she suffered from acid reflux disease. The baby also had pneumonia and a fungus infection in her esophagus that indicated an immune deficiency.

That deficiency, Marraccini concluded, could have been caused by DiGeorge syndrome, a rare chromosomal disorder in which a person is missing the thymus gland that produces T-cells needed for a healthy immune system. Woyah had some T-cells, but Marraccini said they may not have functioned properly because of the disorder.

Miami-Dade County's medical examiner concluded that Woyah's thymus gland might have withered away because of inadequate diet and made no mention of DiGeorge syndrome.

[Last modified November 4, 2005, 01:40:17]