In December 2024, Steven Bradly Collins, 40, and his 2-year-old daughter, RyLeigh Collins, died from injuries sustained in a car crash in Alabama. Collins’ fiancée, Wendy Pamela Jan Bailey, 22, suffered serious injuries but survived. As news of the crash began to spread, loved ones questioned what happened to the couple’s 1-year-old son, Kahleb Collins. Investigators determined that Steven Collins beat his son to death, and Bailey knew about it. But police didn’t have a body, to prove the crime.
More than five months later, Alabama’s Fayette County Sheriff’s Office announced investigators found human remains. Those remains were in a burn pile on the family’s property. An anthropologist helped confirm the discovery, and police sent the remains to forensics for a formal identification.
“This is a heartbreaking outcome, and our thoughts and prayers are with all those who loved Kahleb,” Fayette County Sheriff Byron Yerby said in a statement. “While this discovery brings a measure of closure, it is also a solemn reminder of the responsibility we all share in protecting our children. We are committed to continuing the pursuit of justice in this case.”
The news has brought many people closure but also caused a lot of emotions.
“Bless his heart!” someone wrote. “I can’t imagine what torture he went through his short time he was here!! Hope they get what they deserve.”
One person could not understand how anyone could pretend they didn’t know what happened. The person commented: “I could not imagine sitting in a house knowing a child was out in the burn pile. I have no words.”
“I read this with tears running down my face, we all knew this day was coming, now he can be with his sister in their final resting place, I pray that POS so called Mom and Grandpa rot in hell, that they never see daylight again and while in Prison they will get what is coming for them,” another person shared.
Per WBRC, Bailey faced a grand jury for indictment in April. The charges were for domestic violence, aggravated child abuse, and abuse of a corpse.
In addition, John Elton Bailey, Wendy Bailey’s father, who is Kahleb’s grandfather, was indicted on aggravated child abuse, domestic violence, abuse of a corpse, and hindering prosecution.
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.
