After Court Fight, Toddler's Organs Won't Be Donated

A sad custody dispute in Brooklyn is over, with the result being that 2-year-old Thaiya Spruill-Smith will be taken off life support and then buried intact as her father wishes, reports the Daily News. Thaiya was declared brain-dead on Friday, allegedly after being shaken to death by her stepfather. Her mother wanted to donate her organs, but her biological father objected, and the girl was kept on life support as the legal fight ensued.

As it turns out, the matter was decided quickly in court today. As the New York Times explains, only one thing mattered: Dad Terrell Smith is on his daughter's birth certificate. State law stipulates that if parents disagree about organ donation, the donation won't take place. “I cannot even imagine what the two of you must be going through at this time,” the judge told the couple in court today. Once Thaiya dies, stepfather David Adams, 25, will be charged with murder. (More organ donation stories.)