A couple in Louisiana is being accused of heinous crimes against their children, resulting in the death of a 4-month-old baby girl. The infant's parents, Angel Taylor, 24, and her partner, Chevy Lafountain, 31, allegedly starved the infant to death and severely neglected her 13-month-old brother, who some say is lucky to be alive.
Police discovered the infant dead inside the family's trailer in the town of Reserve on August 1, after Taylor reportedly called police, saying her daughter was experiencing a medical emergency. Upon their arrival, the home was in "deplorable condition," according to a media release from the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office. The couple faces several felony charges, including second-degree murder.
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Investigators knew something was wrong immediately.
Deputies arrived at the home with emergency medical services and found the child on a bed unresponsive, according to the release from the sheriff's office posted on Facebook. Sheriff Mike Tregre told 4WWL the infant had been dead for quite some time as she had begun to become rigid from rigor mortis.
The coroner pronounced her dead on the scene, according to the sheriff's office release. During the investigation, deputies determined that the couple's 13-month-old son also showed signs of neglect and abuse.
Deputies took the parents into custody.
Taylor and Lafountain were immediately detained and taken into custody. The pair was initially charged in connection to injuries obtained by the 13-month-old boy. They were each charged with misdemeanor child desertion and felony cruelty to juveniles with force/violence.
Tregre said it was the worst case of abuse he's seen during his career.
"That child was malnourished beyond what I've seen in my 34 years," he said, per 4WWL. He remarked that the infant was harmless and defenseless and was just left to die. He said that from what he saw, the infant hadn't eaten in a long time.
"Wild animals take better care of their cubs," Tregre lamented, according to 4WWL.
The parents reportedly took no responsibility.
Tregre told 4WWL that both Taylor and Lafountain claimed the infant's death was everyone's fault but their own. The couple not only blamed the death on their drug use, but they also reportedly went so far as to blame the individuals who provided them with the drugs.
"During interviews with Taylor and Lafountain, detectives determined their statements were inconsistent with the infant's physical state and both appeared unremorseful for their actions that led to their daughter's death and their son's current physical condition and their living conditions," the news release read.
Tregre echoed the statement. "Absolutely no remorse at all," the sheriff alleged.
Autopsy results showed the infant died from starvation, dehydration, malnutrition, severe neglect, and child abuse, 4WWL reported.
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The sheriff was happy they could save one child's life that day.
Tregre wished that he would have been able to save the infant but felt solace in the fact that the 13-month-old survived. "When you sit down and eat your dinner that night, you think about what you have in front of you. You have a baby that can't have anything at all," he said.
The couple was charged with second-degree murder and several other charges resulting from the alleged abuse and neglect. The sheriff's office reported that they are each being held on a $600,00 bond with no 10% option for release. It is unknown if they have obtained lawyers.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
