A teen girl is speaking out after the untimely death of her 3-month-old baby brother. The infant died after drowning in a motel room bathtub, and the girl believes that their mother is the reason the infant died.
Police are still investigating the incident, but according to the teen, drugs were likely involved. That is why she is speaking out about her brother’s death. It is a difficult time for the entire family, but the girl is determined to give her brother a voice, and share with the world that his life mattered.
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The tragedy occurred in Kentucky on New Year's Day.
According to a statement from the Louisville Metro Police Department that People published, police officers were dispatched to a motel around 4:30 a.m. on January 1, 2025. LMPD had received “a report of a drowning,” and found the infant in one of the rooms.
Authorities on the scene performed CPR and other life-saving measures on the infant “until EMS arrived on scene.” The 3-month-old was eventually pronounced dead.
The family was alerted about the death quickly.
It only took about an hour for the family to learn about the boy’s death. The baby’s 16-year-old sister, Kiyah Winstead, lives with her grandmother, not her mother. “My grandma told me, she came in my room and told me that he had passed away,” Winstead told WDRB.
The teen shared with the outlet that she was surprised to learn where her mother and brother were. “I really had no idea that they were even there, because prior, she was living in a sober living,” she said.
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The girl and her mother have had a difficult relationship.
“My dad passed away when I was 9, and my mom, me and her have kind of had like an on and off relationship,” the teen explained to WDRB. “There was drug use, and that’s why I got taken away from her,” she explained. She also said she hoped her brother’s death was an “accident.”
Speaking with WLKY, Winstead shared what she was told about her brother’s death. “My mom was holding him in the bath, and she had fell asleep, and he drowned while she was sleeping,” she said. “And her boyfriend came back, and that’s whenever they found the baby.”
It's clear that Winstead loved her baby brother very much.
“My entire life, I’ve been an only child, and I’ve always wanted a younger sibling, so obviously when I figured out that I was going to have one, it was really exciting,” the teen said.
“The last time I had talked to him, he was cooing at us and moving around; and whenever he would look at me, it’s like he recognized my voice, because he would start smiling and making noises. He was precious,” she shared.
“It’s really devastating because nobody would want anything like this to happen, especially at such a young age.” The girl said the pain she’s experiencing after her brother’s death is “not something I would wish on my worst enemy.”
She set up a GoFundMe following the baby’s death to “honor his memory and ensure he has a proper rest.”
The teen spoke about previously trying to advocate for her brother's safety.
Winstead spoke candidly, saying she wished more would have been done to keep her baby brother safe. “There were so many things that had happened that people were aware of and that we had tried to notify people about these things, and there was just never anything done,” she said.
“I want justice for him, and that’s my main goal in all of this because he didn’t get to have his voice, and I want to be able to do that for him,” Winstead shared. The teen told news outlets that she believes her mother is at fault for the infant’s death.
LMPD’s Homicide Unit is currently investigating the incident. As of right now, they’ve said there are no charges.
