A Alabama daycare owner has been charged with 27 counts connected with the death of a 4-month-old baby at the center in 2022.
Initially, Angelene Chamblee faced charges related to six child care act violations and two forgery charges following the tragic death of a child named Autumn Wells at Tiny Tigers Daycare in Red Bay in March 2022, as reported by WHNT.
In this case, another four women were also implicated, with three agreeing to plea deals. In early June, the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office requested to halt the previous prosecution against Chamblee. They cited the discovery of a substantial amount of new evidence while preparing charges against the fourth woman, intending to present a fresh case to a grand jury.
The fourth woman, Payton Gann, was found guilty of manslaughter that month and was sentenced to six years in prison in September.
On Wednesday, Chamblee faced an indictment including 18 counts of possessing a forged instrument, two instances of forgery, six counts of running a daycare without proper licensing or permits, and a manslaughter accusation.
The incident involved the baby being transported to a nearby hospital on March 9, 2022. An autopsy revealed the infant had been placed face-down on a “boppy” pillow for too long, resulting in her death.
As per Law&Crime, both Gann and another daycare worker, Jade McCalpin, were supervising the baby. Gann placed her on the pillow before leaving the premises for a significant duration. Upon her return, the baby was found unresponsive. The medical examiner concluded the child had been deceased for over two hours by the time she arrived at the hospital.
In return for her testimony against Gann, McCalpin accepted a manslaughter plea. She shared that Gann and Gann’s mother instructed others to falsify the events that transpired.
Two other women, including Gann’s mother, pleaded guilty to tampering with a witness, Red Bay News reported.
Chamblee was booked into jail on Wednesday and bonded out the same day.
