Bond denied for woman charged in infant's death

FLORENCE — Bond has been denied for an Alabama woman who is charged with homicide by child abuse after authorities said she contributed to the death of her 5-month-old daughter in Florence County.

Courtney Sue Braddock, 27, of 124 Trojan Way, Troy, Ala., was under the influence of heroin and cocaine when she passed out while holding her daughter, Abby, on or near Nov. 14, 2004, according to a State Law Enforcement Division affidavit released Tuesday.

Bond was denied for Braddock’s release during a hearing Tuesday afternoon. She remains in custody at the Florence County Detention Center in Effingham, where she was booked Monday night. Braddock has lived in several states since her daughter’s death and her address is listed in Florence County booking reports as 1300 Cherokee St., Conway.

SLED agents said the suspect was coming off the drug Oyxcontin the night before the child’s death and said she was incapable of caring for her child or herself.

Twelfth Circuit Solicitor Ed Clements III, whose office is prosecuting the case, said the arrest came after SLED agents gathered enough evidence to show probable cause. He declined to elaborate on that evidence.

“This is an ongoing investigation that’s still pending,” he said.

The Alabama Bureau of Investigation has assisted in the investigation.

The statute of limitations doesn’t expire on charges of this nature, Clements said.

Homicide by child abuse is a felony that carries a possible sentence of no less than 20 years in prison. A person also can receive a sentence of life in prison if convicted of the crime.

Katy Brown, a family advocate at the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault’s Elizabeth Pettigrew Durant Children’s Center, said the center handles child abuse cases but rarely sees those where a child has been severely injured and/or dies as a result.

“Obviously, if there is some type of head trauma, we would not be equipped to handle that. They would be sent to the McLeod Children’s Hospital,” Brown said of such child abuse victims. “But we’ve seen cases where we suspect shaken baby (syndrome).”

Parents who feel they are on the verge of abusing their children and need help can call the Childhelp Pee Dee Hotline, provided through the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault, Brown said. The 24-hour hotline provides free services to adults and children in the Pee Dee who may be dealing with child abuse and other issues related to the family structure.

The hotline is staffed by professional crisis counselors working with Childhelp, a nationally-known organization based in Phoenix. Childhelp specializes in prevention, intervention and therapy and can provide assistance in 140 languages.

If necessary, Childhelp counselors will be able to refer Pee Dee residents to the proper authorities for help by doing a ZIP code search.

For more information on preventing child abuse, call the Childhelp Pee Dee Hotline at (866) 867-9857.

Reports of cases where a child has been injured by a parent who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol also is rare in the Pee Dee, Brown said.

In August 2004, Brenda Elmore Black of Lake City was charged with homicide by child abuse after investigators alleged her cocaine use caused the death of her fetus. The 12th Circuit Solicitor’s Office later dropped the charge against her.

Within the past decade, at least three cases of homicide by child abuse led to the arrest of a parent of the victims.

In April 2006, Lambert Harkless of Florence was charged with homicide by child abuse in connection with the death of his 9-month-old son. Autopsy results indicated the baby, Tyvonta Frieson, died of blunt force injury to his head because of a severe beating.

In September 2000, 19-month-old Ralph Edward Poston III died after he was taken off life support at a Florence hospital. A day after a pathology report indicated his death was a direct result of child abuse, Florence County sheriff’s deputies arrested his mother, 21-year-old Jozy Lynn Ard Poston, and her live-in boyfriend, 23-year-old Michael Dennis Miles. Both were charged with homicide by child abuse and later convicted in connection with the toddler’s death.

And in July 2000, 20-month-old Jordyn Lindsay Durant died after being taken off life support at a Florence hospital. An autopsy later indicated her injuries were inflicted two days before she took ill while she was at the beach with her mother, Catherine Celeste Mercuri Durant, and her mother’s boyfriend, Chad Smith. About two weeks after Jordyn’s death, Celeste Durant and Smith each were arrested and charged with homicide by child abuse. Both were convicted of the charge, as well as aiding and abetting homicide by child abuse, the following year.

— WBTW News13’s Patricia Burkett and Tracy Vreeland provided the initial report of this story.