WOODRUFF, S.C. -- A mother has been charged in her 22-month-old son's death after investigators said that there were discrepancies in her statement when compared to the autopsy results.
Gabriel James Ray was found unresponsive in his bedroom at about 1:15 p.m. last Sunday.
Investigators said that more than 45 minutes may have passed between the time that Kirk found the child unresponsive in the bedroom before she called 911.Woodruff police officers said that they found the child lying on the ground in front of the home on Woodruff Street. Kirk told them that she had found the child standing up with his head between the bunk bed and wall and was unresponsive.
On Friday, the child's mother, 21-year-old Crystal Marie Kirk, was charged with homicide by child neglect.
Chief Darrell Dawkins said that the toddler's cause of death was listed as asphyxiation.
Dawkins said that Kirk contributed to her son's death by her lack of supervision. He said that there were several inconsistencies in Kirk's statements to police.
Kirk and her mother were meeting with an attorney Friday. Her mother said that she was upset because Kirk did not have a lawyer present during three of her statements. She also said they are charging her daughter despite the fact that all of the evidence is circumstantial.
Officers who searched the house on Sunday said that they found the living condition to be deplorable. Officers said that there were human feces all over the children’s bedroom, and a bottle of Clorox was inside a bucket and had been poured or spilled on the floor.
Kirk's other children, ages 2 and 4, were taken into custody by the Department of Social Services.
DSS also said that they had prior interaction with the family, but they didn't give details of what the interaction involved.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office is assisting Woodruff Police Department with the ongoing investigation.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks