Lawyer: family of woman in vegetative state who gave birth 'outraged, traumatized, and in shock'

PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- A lawyer representing the family of a female patient at Hacienda Healthcare who gave birth while in a vegetative state has issued a statement Tuesday night.

On Tuesday, officials with the San Carlos Apache Tribe say the woman at the center of the controversy is a 29-year-old who has been in a persistent vegetative state for over a decade, and is a patient at Hacienda Del Sol in Phoenix.

An investigation is underway by Phoenix Police, as controversy mounts over the incident. Hacienda Healthcare's CEO, Bill Timmons, has announced his resignation, and Phoenix Police have served DNA search warrants on male staffers at the facility.

In the statement, the lawyer, identified as John Michaels, said the family is "outraged, traumatized, and in shock by the abuse and neglect of their daughter at Hacienda Healthcare". The lawyer also said the family, while well aware of the intense news and public interest in their daughter's case, is not emotionally ready to make a public statement at this time.

Michaels also said the baby boy was born into a loving family, and will be well cared for.

Hacienda Healthcare