OREGON CITY, Ore. (RNS) A 16-year-old boy whose parents believe in faith healing had lifelong health problems from a urinary tract blockage that destroyed his kidneys and flooded his body cavity with urine, a medical examiner testified Thursday (Jan. 21).

Jeffrey and Marci Beagley are charged with criminally negligent homicide for failing to provide medical care for their son Neil, who died in June 2008.

Dr. Clifford Nelson, deputy state medical examiner, said Neil Beagley was born with a posterior urethral valve obstruction, which made urination difficult. Over time, pressure from the blockage distorted Beagley’s bladder and urinary system.

The condition, which affects only males, occurs once in 8,000 to 10,000 births. About 95 percent of the time it is detected by ultrasound before birth or by problems urinating after birth.

An undetected case involving a teenager is unheard of, Nelson said. The condition took a terrible toll on the boy, said Nelson, who used several autopsy photos to show Neil’s damaged and deformed organs.

Marci Beagley began to cry as Nelson described the autopsy. She and her husband averted their gaze to avoid the images displayed on a large television screen before them and jurors.

Dr. Patrick O’Hollaren, a pediatric urologist, said there would be obvious signs that Beagley’s system started shutting down in the weeks before death. The boy would have been weak, have trouble breathing and keeping food down and might not be thinking clearly, he said.

The symptoms would have been obvious to any parent, O’Hollaren said.

Prosecutors presented evidence earlier this week that Beagley exhibited such symptoms, such as vomiting and becoming so weak that his father once had to carry him to the bathroom.

The Beagleys told police investigators they believed Neil had the flu and that he would recover. The couple are members of the Followers of Christ, an Oregon City congregation that relies on faith healing rather than doctors and medicine.

Under Oregon law, Neil Beagley was old enough to seek medical treatment on his own. The law also requires parents to provide adequate medical treatment for their children. Neil Beagley told his parents he preferred to put his fate in God’s hands.

Dialysis could have saved Beagley’s life, right up to his last hours, O’Hollaren said. “If we could have gotten to him, there’s no question in my mind he’d be standing here today.”

The defense is expected to begin their case on Monday, when three medical experts may testify.