‘Done it almost everyday for a month’: Parents killed infant by rubbing alcohol on her gums and around her mouth when she got ‘irritable and fussy,’ police say

A West Virginia mates is accused of killing their infant daughter, who died with a fatal magnitude of ethanol successful her strategy aft the defendants allegedly rubbed intoxicant connected her gums and astir her rima whenever she would get “irritable and fussy.” James Joseph Smith and Angel Talbert were taken into custody past week and charged with 1 number each of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, kid neglect resulting successful death, and conspiracy against the state, records show.

According to tribunal documents obtained by Law&Crime, officers with the Braxton County Sheriff’s Department astatine astir 7:52 a.m. connected the greeting of Nov. 16, 2024, responded to a telephone regarding a deceased babe astatine Braxton County Memorial Hospital, astir 70 miles northeast of Charleston, West Virginia.

Officers arrived astir 30 minutes aboriginal and examined the child, describing her look arsenic “discolored arsenic if the babe had been look down.” Authorities past traveled to the child’s location successful the 1900 artifact of Tunnel Fork Road successful Gassaway to question the parents.

In an interrogation with detectives, Smith said that helium woke up betwixt 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. to usage the restroom and cheque connected the baby. When helium looked successful the crib, Smith said the babe was facedown and not breathing, truthful helium “immediately” had Talbert telephone 911.

The mates brought the kid successful the car and drove to the hospital. An ambulance met them on the way, continuing lifesaving procedures until they arrived astatine the facility. Unfortunately, the babe could not beryllium resuscitated and was pronounced dormant astatine the infirmary astatine astir 5:32 a.m., per the affidavit.

Talbert corroborated Smith’s communicative and told authorities that their girl had not been sick, nor did she person immoderate preexisting conditions.

Inside the couple’s home, investigators said the surviving conditions were “very poor,” arsenic they “observed roaches crawling successful aggregate places passim the home.” The location besides had nary moving h2o successful the room oregon bathroom. Smith showed the officers a spigot successful the backmost country of the home, which is wherever helium said they got their water.

“He stated they would capable up containers and instrumentality [them] to the bath and room erstwhile needed,” the affidavit states.

On April 10, constabulary received the findings from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner documenting the victim’s postmortem examination. The study stated that a trial was conducted connected the infant’s liver insubstantial and came backmost affirmative for ethanol, “with a speechmaking of 3.21.” A doc informed authorities “that 3.21 would beryllium fatal to an infant.”

Investigators connected April 14, 2025, returned to Smith and Talbert’s location and the parents agreed to travel authorities to the West Virginia State Police Sutton detachment to sermon the results of the postmortem examination.

“After explaining the results the parent and begetter stated they didn’t cognize however the intoxicant would beryllium successful the child’s liver tissue,” the affidavit states. “Both parents stated that the babe was steadfast and was not connected immoderate benignant of prescribed medicine oregon implicit the antagonistic medication.”

Two days later, authorities conducted different interview, allegedly gleaning immoderate penetration into however the intoxicant got into the victim’s system.

“During the interrogation [Talbert] told [investigators] that aft the archetypal interrogation connected 04/14/2025 that James Smith told her that helium would instrumentality intoxicant and hitch [it] connected the babe child’s gums and astir her rima erstwhile the babe would get irritable and fussy,” the papers says. “A abbreviated clip aboriginal James Smith stated that him and [Talbert] would some hitch intoxicant connected the infants gums and they had done it astir mundane for a period anterior to the babe death.”

The parents were arrested and transported to the Central Regional Jail, wherever they are some being held without bond.

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