A Greensboro family is demanding accountability after their 2-year-old son, Er’mias, died during what was supposed to be a routine dental procedure at Valleygate Dental Surgery Center.
According to his parents, Shardé Sherrill and David Mitchell, Er’mias went in on July 17 for a simple teeth capping procedure. The family says their son was taken to the back for anesthesia but never made it home.
The parents allege they were left in the waiting room with no updates, unaware that their child had experienced complications. Roughly 40 minutes later, an ambulance left the facility with Er’mias inside — without his parents by his side.
By the time Shardé and David were finally told what had happened, they rushed to the hospital, a drive that took nearly 30 minutes. Tragically, when they arrived, their little boy had already passed away. Nurses informed them that his lungs had collapsed, despite the fact that he had passed all health checks earlier that morning.
The grieving parents accuse Valleygate of unethical practices and failing to communicate critical information that robbed them of their chance to say goodbye.
“Because of their poor decisions we didn’t get to say goodbye to our baby,” Shardé wrote in an emotional Facebook post.
Valleygate CEO Virginia Jones said staff did “everything they could” to save Er’mias and acknowledged the delay in notifying the family was “painful.” The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners later confirmed that no dental work had begun before the child’s death, and that anesthesia was administered by outside licensed professionals.
In the weeks since, Er’mias’ parents have led protests outside Valleygate, calling for accountability. Shardé says she feels lost without her son, who she described as her “best friend.” The family is still waiting on autopsy results to determine the exact cause of death.
