Inset, left to right: Deeann Bennett and Charles Bennett (Three Forks Regional Jail). Background: The street in Kentucky where the couple lived (Google Maps).
Authorities have charged the couple with reckless homicide and the concealment of an infant’s birth. Deeann Bennett faces additional charges, including tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse, highlighting the gravity of the accusations against her.
The investigation commenced on November 29, 2024, as stated in a news release by the Kentucky State Police. Officers from the Richmond-based Post 7 unit responded to a 911 call around 10:30 a.m. regarding a woman, Deeann Bennett, who claimed to have experienced a “possible miscarriage.” She was subsequently taken to a local hospital for medical care.
While at the hospital, the Bennetts informed authorities that the infant was still at their residence on Lewis Lane in Booneville, a community about 150 miles southeast of Louisville. This revelation prompted troopers and detectives to visit the home, where they made a tragic discovery.
The officers found the unresponsive infant over an embankment outside the couple’s home, as detailed by KSP Post 7 Public Affairs Officer Justin Kearney. The infant was pronounced dead at the scene by Owsley County Coroner Rob Morgan, marking a somber chapter in this ongoing investigation.
“Troopers and detectives responded to the residence, where they located an unresponsive infant over an embankment outside the home,” KSP Post 7 Public Affairs Officer Justin Kearney wrote in the release. “Owsley County Coroner Rob Morgan pronounced the infant deceased at the scene.”
Authorities transported the infant’s body to the Kentucky State Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort, Kentucky, for an autopsy to determine the manner and cause of the victim’s death. Those results have not been publicly released.
The Bennetts are both being held in detention at the Three Forks Jail without bond. They are currently scheduled to appear in court for their arraignments on the morning of March 2, records show.
