A young couple from Oak Grove is mourning the death of their baby killed by a suspected drunk driver on Highway 350.
Marcus Cox, 18, says his daughter was due in two months. He and his fiancé were planning to name her Angelica Dawn Cox. The dream of raising their daughter was cut short early Saturday morning.
“He killed my baby and my mom is telling me it's god's plan I said god's plan is not evil,” Cox said.
Cox’s car broke down at Highway 350 and Raytown Road around 3 a.m. His 16-year-old pregnant fiancé sat inside the car as Cox called for help.
Raytown Police said Jonathan Marquardt, 36, who was speeding slammed into Cox’s car. He faces two charges of driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident.
Jonathan Marquardt is charged in the crash.
“He got out looked around a little bit,” Cox said. “After I got off the phone with 911 operators, that's when he left.”
An officer spotted Marquardt shortly after and arrested him. According to court documents, Marquardt’s blood alcohol level was .233%, almost three times the legal limit.
Paramedics rushed the pregnant teen to children’s mercy hospital.
“When we got here we were actually thinking the baby was going to make it,” Cox said. “The baby was fine for hours and then all of a sudden they realize the baby's heart rate started dropping and then they started saying we have to do an emergency c-section.”
The baby didn’t make it.
“To see her outside of it not breathing, no heartbeat—cold, getting blue that gets to you. I’ve been dreaming about her for the last couple days,” Cox said.
He added doctors considered the pregnancy at-risk prior to Saturday’s crash.
“The baby had trisomy 18 and spinda bifida which meant that she had the possibility to make it a little bit past the first birthday but because of the accident and we didn't even get to there,” Cox said.
His fiancé who was 33-weeks pregnant is now on the journey to recovery.
Marquardt went in front of the judge Tuesday afternoon.
Police said this it’s not his first run-in with the law. Marquardt was convicted of DWI in 2012 in Lee’s Summit.
“I really don't care about the time he spends in jail but if he's in there I want him getting help while he's in there,” Cox said.
Marquardt is being held on a $200,000 bond. His next court date is set for April 10.
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Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com
