A Kentucky couple is facing serious criminal charges after authorities say a 1-year-old boy died following extreme neglect while living in a garage with no air conditioning, where he allegedly ate from a diaper filled with feces.
Deavan Williams, 22, and the child’s mother, Alexandrae Price, also 22, were first taken into custody on first-degree criminal abuse charges, according to a July 28 statement from the Scottsville Police Department.
Police said the charges were based on evidence that the toddler had allegedly endured “extreme neglect” and had been made to live in “dangerous and hazardous living conditions.”
On Aug. 3, the department announced that Williams had been additionally charged with murder in the death of the baby, identified as Mason Moulding, after a judge found probable cause to support the upgraded charge.
Mason Moulding Was Allegedly Living in Playpen Surrounded by Filth
The investigation began around 10 p.m. on July 27, when officers were called to the family’s home in Scottsville after receiving a report that a baby had been taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, according to an arrest citation obtained by Lex 18. Authorities said the child showed signs of “suspicious trauma,” including bleeding from the mouth and bruises on his body.
According to the citation, the toddler became unconscious after eating a feces-filled diaper while inside a playpen that had been placed in a garage without air conditioning. Investigators described the garage as being “filled with trash, beer cans, soiled diapers, and heavy cat urine.”
Williams allegedly told investigators that he was “surprised the baby did not have parasites due to the filth,” and said he knew the child had been eating a feces-filled diaper in the playpen before becoming unresponsive, the citation states.
An arrest warrant filed by the Scottsville Police Department in connection with the murder charge against Williams included further details about what authorities say happened during the child’s final days.
The baby was last seen alive July 27 while at grocery store with Price before she left for work.
Williams told investigators that he had been serving as the child’s primary caregiver when the baby collapsed, per the court records.
Investigators said that Williams admitted that he’d fallen asleep before Mason “consumed portions of a feces-contaminated diaper” and choked, according to the warrant.
During the discussion with investigators, he also told them that he had forced the child to eat “extremely spicy foods” despite Price’s objections and admitted the baby “routinely consumed diapers, couch cushions, and other unsafe objects,” according to the warrant.
Williams described the garage, where the playpen was located as having “animal urine, animal feces, raw sewage, decomposing animals, and other hazardous conditions that Williams personally described as containing pathogens and parasites,” the warrant alleged.
In a warrant filed in Price’s case, also obtained by Lex 18, investigators said the baby was also kept in a basement in the home.
“Price also stated that the living area had flies and spiders,” authorities wrote in the court documents. “A large amount of trash and debris was also found in the living area, posing significant health hazards. The living area was also reported to have high moisture levels and poor ventilation, posing a health hazard.”
The couple bathed the child with a garden hose, due to a lack of running water, according to the warrant.
The baby’s grandmother, Tina Renee Price, 51, is also facing charges of first-degree criminal abuse, knowingly abuse/neglect of an adult by a person and second-degree cruelty to animals, according to a statement from Scottsville Police.
Animals Found With “Severe Signs of Neglect” Inside Deavan Williams’ Home
As part of the investigation, the Allen County Animal Control also removed three dogs, 12 cats and a opossum from the home, police said in a July 31 update to the case.
“Sadly, most of the animals showed severe signs of neglect, and several are in such poor condition that humane euthanasia will be necessary,” they wrote. “Based on the evidence developed during this investigation, animal cruelty charges will be forthcoming.”
They added that multiple agencies were also working “to address the welfare and placement needs of other vulnerable individuals associated with this residence,” however, they declined to provide further details.
“We understand the community wants immediate answers and action,” police wrote. “Unfortunately, thorough investigations take time. We ask for your continued patience as we work to ensure every victim is protected and every person responsible is held accountable.”
Its unclear whether any of the defendants has retained an attorney or entered a plea to the charges against them.
