Five months after their baby died, a West Virginia couple faces murder charges in connection with her death. Angel Talbert, 23, and James Smith, 34, called 911 on November 16, 2024, after finding their infant unresponsive in her crib. The couple attempted CPR while waiting for first responders. Sadly, staff at Braxton County Memorial Hospital pronounced the infant dead a short time later.
Investigators later discovered the parents had evidently used outdated and dangerous methods to help their teething child. Their decisions ultimately killed her, authorities claim.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by WBOY, the West Virginia Medical Examiner’s Office contacted the Braxton County Sheriff’s Office to aid in the investigation into the child’s death. When the infant arrived at the hospital, her skin was reportedly discolored, and it appeared she had been facing down.
Investigators visited Talbert and Smith at their home in Gassway. Smith allegedly said he got up to use the bathroom between 4 and 5 a.m. He checked on the baby and noticed the “child was not breathing and that she was face down,” the complaint reads, per WBOY.
The father said he called 911 and performed CPR. “They loaded the child into a vehicle and were travelling toward the hospital where the[y] met the ambulance at the bottom of the driveway,” the complaint states. The family arrived at the hospital a short time later, and staff pronounced the baby dead at 5:32 a.m.
Deputies noted that the family lived in deplorable conditions. The home had a roach infestation and no running water in the kitchen or bathroom. Instead, the family had a “spigot that they would get water from” and “they would fill up containers.” Investigators found a “smoking apparatus” that Smith reportedly said “they used to smoke THC.”
Months after her death, investigators received a post-mortem report noting the child’s liver had a 3.210 ethanol level. That much alcohol “would be fatal in an infant child,” deputies said, per WOBY. Further investigation found the child had no existing health issues. The parents allegedly admitted they “would take alcohol and rub on the infant child’s gums and around her mouth when the infant would get irritable and fussy,” deputies said.
Smith allegedly told investigators he and Talbert often used alcohol to calm their teething daughter. Per WOBY, deputies noted the parents “would both rub alcohol on the infant’s gums and they had done it almost every day for a month prior to the infant’s death.”
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, parents should not use any type of medication or chemical when their child teethes. “Teething is a normal experience for infants and children, but it can be painful. Many well-meaning parents and caregivers who want to ease a child’s pain might turn to products that could be harmful,” the FDA warns.
Additionally, “Soothing children’s gums with prescription or nonprescription medicines containing benzocaine or lidocaine – or homeopathic tablets and other products – might seem like good options. The US Food and Drug Administration warns that these products can be dangerous to children and can lead to serious injury, and even death,” the agency notes on its website.
According to WBOY, Smith and Talbert each face charges of child neglect resulting in death, first- and second- degree murder, and conspiracy. They are in Central Regional Jail, held without bond.
