The Prosecutor’s Office of the Second Judicial District confirmed that it started an investigation against a man surnamed Gutiérrez Camacho, suspected of committing negligent homicide after assisting a home birth, in which a woman died last January.
It is a Spanish citizen with studies in obstetrics. He was arrested in January, at Coronado Clinic, where the woman died due to a hemorrhage. He has a master’s degree in obstetrical nursing, but he is not graduated and therefore he is not part of the Physician College, as confirmed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the Public Prosecutor’s Press Office, Gutiérrez would have unsuccessfully tried to control the bleeding during 2 hours, but he later recommended to transfer the patient to the medical center, where she died after a few minutes.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office requested pre-trial detention for the suspect. However, the Criminal Court of the Second District of San José rejected the petition, and although officials appealed the resolution, the court ratified the measure: to appear before the court once a month and he could not leave the country, both for six months.
Apparently, the woman, surnamed Arévalo, preferred to give birth at home because of the way she was assisted during her first delivery.