Grayson Luncsford was only a month old when he died on September 16. The infant’s grandfather reportedly found him dead in a truck, seemingly killed by the heat. Now, a new report from the Peoria County coroner shows Grayson actually died from cocaine intoxication. He also suffered the effects of heat, dehydration, and malnutrition. Police initially arrested his mother, Andrea Luncsford, for child endangerment. She now a faces first-degree murder change.
Luncsford, 25, reportedly attended the funeral of her baby’s father, Michael Eastwood Jr., on September 14 with Grayson, per WEEK-TV. Two days later, emergency responders pronounced Grayson dead. He was reportedly wearing the same clothes he had on at his father’s funeral. An autopsy revealed the infant died 12 to 24 hours before his grandfather found him.
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Luncsford allegedly told police that she had fed Grayson before he died.
KTVI reported that Luncsford said she was alone with the baby for most of the day and had given him several bottles. Per court documents, she allegedly left him in a car seat and propped a bottle in the 1-month-old’s mouth. She reportedly admitted she did this so he “could feed himself.”
Prior to Grayson’s death, Andrea’s father reportedly sent her a text begging her to let him help. It read, “You know that baby can overheat and die, please let us help you, from dad to mom.”
Luncsford had previously lost custody of another child.
According to court documents, WEEK-TV reported, Luncsford lost custody of another child in 2022. At age 23, a court found her unfit to parent, and she lost parental rights. During that case, she reportedly tested positive for cocaine at the time of the baby’s birth. Luncsford admitted to using drugs throughout that pregnancy and the morning she gave birth, court documents show.
She allegedly abandoned the baby at the hospital.
According to court documents, Luncsford allegedly said she was unsure if she wanted to keep the baby after a visit to the NICU. She reportedly never returned.
The Department of Children and Family Services took the baby into its care and repeatedly attempted to contact the mother several times. She did not reside at the address she provided, and she claimed the baby had an abusive father. The court appointed the infant a legal guardian, and Luncsford lost all parental rights.
Grayson's father seemingly died from a drug overdose.
Eastwood died on September 6. Though his obituary doesn’t list a cause of death, several people who claimed to know the couple wrote on Luncsford’s Facebook page that the 26-year-old overdosed on drugs.
“[Luncsford] didn’t call 911 when michael ODed, she waited and hid the bad drugs she gave him so he didn’t get medical attention in time,” someone wrote.
Another person had a similar story and wrote, “Michael OD and she choose to hide drugs before calling 911 preventing him from receiving care she then got high and let her baby die from hyperthermia and drove around with him dead 12+ hrs even though her family begged to take the son who was only a month old where she also had possible prior issues with neglect or is being charged with neglect on top of murder.”
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The investigation continues.
The Peoria County Coroner’s Office noted in a statement that how the cocaine got into Grayson’s system remains a mystery, “The mode of entry of the cocaine into the infant’s system remains under investigation by the Peoria Police Department and the Peoria County Coroner’s Office.”
According to Illinois law, a first-degree murder conviction could land Luncsford in jail for 100 years.
