California doctor circumcises newborn, next day, he’s pronounced dead. Coroner’s shocking findings lead parents to say he ‘intentionally’ killed him

A doctor from Orange County, California is being charged with involuntary manslaughter, wrongful death, and medical malpractice. Dr. Hong-An Jan was performing a standard circumcision on a three-day-old infant, but instead of using a local anesthetic, he allegedly administered a narcotic that led to the child’s death.

According to Law&Crime, Jan performed the minor surgery on Feb. 27, 2024, at his private practice at Garden Grove Medical Plaza. Reportedly, within hours of the circumcision, the infant became lethargic and unresponsive, even refusing attempts to feed him. The parents asked Jan if any of this was cause for alarm, and he reportedly assured them the symptoms were “normal.”

This all happened just before things went completely wrong. Prenatal and newborn care have already been the subject of intense debate in the U.S. After the mishandling of the pandemic at the tail end of Donald Trump’s first term, there has been a noticeable rise in vaccine skepticism, along with broader concerns about what medications and chemicals may harm a child during prenatal care. So suspicion toward medical professionals — whether warranted or not — is currently at an all-time high.

In that same breath, the parents of the infant, Yiqi Wang and Hongyu Lu, accused Jan of “intentionally administering” Demerol, a Schedule II narcotic, instead of Xylocaine, a local anesthetic. Jan allegedly wrote in his medical report that he had used Xylocaine, but a toxicology report later revealed excessive levels of Demerol.

The suit stated: “The claims in this case are primarily based upon the intentional misconduct, unauthorized drug administration, deceit, concealment of material facts, and conscious disregard for the life and safety of a newborn child.”

Wang and Lu’s lawyer, Leodis C. Matthews added, “The administration of that narcotic was not disclosed to Plaintiffs, and its risks were concealed until the unveiling of an indictment, which, for the first time, disclosed the false records and wrong use of a narcotic sedative.”

Matthews also claimed there were no complications during the infant’s birth, so early findings point to Jan’s malpractice. Court documents reveal that after the circumcision, the infant fell asleep for four hours. When Lu woke up at around 3 a.m., the infant was cold to the touch, not breathing, and completely unresponsive.

Unfortunately, such cases are not unheard of. Just recently, a 21-year-old from Pennsylvania went through a similarly devastating experience after undergoing surgery shortly after his wedding. The procedure was botched, and he later sued the facility for malpractice.

The Irvine Police Department also condemned Jan’s actions, calling the loss of life “negligent and preventable.” However, despite the evidence against him, Jan had his day in court in 2026 and pleaded not guilty.

The case is set to be heard from May, with the plaintiffs pursuing justice after the loss of their infant. The complexities of what happens in surgery are something few people fully understand, which is why trust in medical professionals matters so much. In this case, the parents did nothing wrong — and if negligence took their child, then justice should follow.