Baby Born To Faith Healing Couple Died From Complications From Premature Birth

The twin girl who died within hours of being born to a woman who belongs to the Followers of Christ Church, was born prematurely and died from natural causes, the medical examiner determined Monday. The infant's lungs were not functioning properly and she didn't receive the oxygen she needed.

The sheriff's office announced last week that they were investigating the circumstances of the death of the girl. The church to which her parents - Sarah and Travis Mitchell - belong to eschews medicine and medical care and relies on prayer.

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The infant died within hours of being born. The sheriff's office says that no one called 911 and that the first call made was to the sheriff's office to inform them a child had died.

The sheriff's office says that the surviving baby is believed to be several weeks premature, and is currently in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Oregon Health & Science University.

Detectives are currently investigating the infant's death -- collecting and processing evidence, reconstructing the timeline of events, and interviewing witnesses to the births as well as members of the family and Followers of Christ Church.

Sarah Mitchell's sister and brother-in-law, Shannon and Dale Hickman are also Followers of Christ members - Sarah and her sister are the granddaughters of Followers of Christ founder Walter White - and were convicted in 2011 of second-degree manslaughter following the 2009 death of their infant son less than nine hours after delivery.

The Hickmans are currently each serving out six-year prison sentences, to be followed by three years of post-prison supervision.

The medical examiner's determination was first reported by The Oregonian.

File photo Clackamas County Sheriff's Office