Inset: Natricia Ann Wright (Monroe Police Department). Background: Bragg Street in Monroe, North Carolina (Google Maps).
A North Carolina mother is facing criminal charges after police say her baby died while she was asleep beside the child — an allegation made more troubling by claims that this is not the first time she has been accused in connection with a child’s death.
Natricia Ann Wright, 27, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony child abuse, the Monroe Police Department said.
Wright was taken to the Union County Detention Center, where she was booked on a $750,000 secured bond.
Police said officers were called around 10 a.m. on May 18 to a residence on Bragg Street in Monroe after receiving a report that an infant was unresponsive. Monroe sits southeast of Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city.
According to authorities, responding officers “immediately began lifesaving efforts,” and emergency medical personnel continued those efforts after arriving at the home. The infant, however, was pronounced dead.
Investigators later determined that the baby died “as a result of co-sleeping,” the Monroe Police Department said.
After detectives “carefully” reviewed the circumstances of the case, police said they concluded that criminal charges were warranted. Wright was formally charged on Thursday.
“First and foremost, our hearts go out to this child and everyone affected by this heartbreaking loss,” said Monroe Police Chief Rhett Bolen. “There is nothing that can adequately express the tragedy of losing a child, and we recognize that this investigation has been incredibly difficult for everyone involved. Our detectives have spent nearly three months carefully working to understand exactly what happened and to make decisions based on facts and evidence. These charges are the result of that investigation and the specific circumstances uncovered by our detectives.”
This was reportedly not the first time Wright was accused of killing a child.
According to regional CBS affiliate WBTV, after a 5-month-old boy died in May 2020, Wright — his mother — and the boy’s father were accused of killing him.
On May 20, 2020, authorities say someone called 911 about an unresponsive child. Emergency responders arrived and pronounced the boy dead.
The baby reportedly suffered from chronic malnutrition after Wright and the father allegedly failed to provide adequate food or healthcare for months from December 2020 through May 2020. An arrest warrant said this time frame matched most of, if not all, of the child’s life.
Wright and the father were charged in August 2020, and three years later, they pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of placing a child at risk of harm or willfully abandoning a child, and they were placed on probation.
For the more recent case, Wright’s next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 24.
The post Mother who pleaded guilty in 5-month-old’s death by failing to give him nutrition killed her 2-month-old years later, police say first appeared on Law & Crime.
