Rachel Piland, 38, and Joshua Piland, 44, believed in the supernatural concept of faith healing, which ultimately led to the death of their newborn daughter, Abigail. The Michigan couple will now be spending at least 20 years behind bars for the preventable death of the child, who was only 61 hours old.
As reported by Law & Crime, Abigail was born on February 6, 2017, at the Piland family’s home in Lansing. Rachel and Joshua, due to their belief, refused to go to the hospital, and their child was born with the help of a midwife. However, on February 9, almost only 3 days later, the newborn passed away after the midwife noticed that she was jaundiced.
“God makes no mistakes”: Joshua and Rachel Piland’s infant daughter Abigail died of jaundice-related complications late last year. 2 weeks ago, their daughter Verity was born. Within hours, she was taken into custody bc they refused medical treatment: https://t.co/tO3SKSEY2q pic.twitter.com/EFWbMNHQnp
— Law & Crime (@lawcrimenews) July 30, 2018
According to the report, the couple was advised to seek professional help and visit a hospital, but they refused. Rachel’s mother was also present during Abigail’s birth, and she also attempted a medical intervention but faced rejection from the baby’s parents.
Ultimately, the girl died from a rare condition known as Rh disease or Rh incompatibility. It is a rare form of anemia that essentially develops from a blood incompatibility between the mother and the child. However, her death could have been easily prevented had the couple sought necessary medical help or a prenatal injection.
However, the Piland firmly believed in the concept of faith healing, which stopped them from consulting with doctors. According to the Michigan Free Press, when Rachel and Joshua were told about Abigail’s impending death, the former told the midwife, “God makes no mistakes.”
The pair were initially charged with involuntary manslaughter, and the charges were later upgraded when the midwife testified that they believed in the “power of prayer.” In March, the couple were convicted by a jury on counts of murder in the second degree and child abuse in the first degree. On June 11, Rachel and Joshua were sentenced to a minimum of 20 years behind bars by Ingham County Circuit Judge James Jamo.
Lansing faith-healing couple sentenced for death of baby who died of treatable condition https://t.co/8Zd0POliGL
— Lansing State Journal (@LSJNews) June 11, 2025
Bill Crino, the Ingham County Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor, noted, “This was a very difficult case. Throughout, we have tried to use Abigail Piland’s life as a lighthouse to guide us through the many complex legal and factual issues that were presented.”
According to the Lansing State Journal, during their trial, the jurors came to know how the two refused to call 911 and instead prayed over Abigail’s body, who was already dead by that time. After a family member phoned nine hours later, the police made their way to the residence, but it was too late by then.
During the trial, Rachel confessed to the court, “We believed [praying] was the best thing we could possibly do for her. Even if she had died from some kind of struggle, we wouldn’t have called 911.”
Their attorney tried to minimize the sentencing by claiming that the couple tried to heal their daughter from jaundice by placing her near a sunlit window. The defense lawyers insisted that the Pilands did everything they could possibly to save their child.
However, the state presented a counterargument that personal healthcare decisions should not be applied when taking care of children.
