WELLSBURG, W.Va. — Brooke County authorities say the story about an infant’s death from the parents did not add up and now they are charged with multiple counts of child neglect resulting in death.
The Brooke County Sheriff’s Department was alerted by Brooke County EMS Wednesday they needed to look into the case after they were called to a home in Follansbee. The parents, Caleb DeCapio, 21, and Hope Taylor, 20, called 911 when the child was unresponsive. Life saving efforts by paramedics were unsuccessful.
“They needed law enforcement to come and check things out. They were attempting to revive the baby and knew it was not going to be successful. They had questions and definitely knew that law enforcement needed to be involved,” said Brooke County Chief Deputy Douglas Mills.
Deputies arrived to a flurry of activity with law enforcement and emergency crews at the scene. The criminal complaint indicated when the deputy entered the home, the smell was overwhelming and it was difficult to breathe.
“The residence was in deplorable condition, including several piles of animal feces, multiple dirty diapers, and dishes covered in mold in the kitchen.” read the criminal complaint. “This Deputy noted that the bedroom was also deplorable, this Deputy noted that the room contained a large amount of dirty/soiled diapers, used baby wipes, garbage, and animal feces. This Deputy noted that the bassinet that the child was found in was just off the right side of the bed. Deputies note that the bassinette contained approximately three (3) blankets, a pacifier, and other small towels.”
The criminal complaint further noted 80 to 100 soiled diapers in the bedroom and more than 20 baby bottles filled with rotten milk. There was also various food items around the room with various degrees of mold.
Deputies pulled out of the home after making a safety sweep until they could secure a search warrant. In the meantime, they spoke with the parents.
According to the criminal complaint, Hope Taylor told deputies she was breast feeding the child while lying in bed and fell asleep. When she awoke, she told deputies the child was between her and DeCapio and unresponsive.
When deputies observed the child’s body in the ambulance, there appeared to be a bruise on the back of its head near the base of the skull and blood on the cheek. The criminal complaint indicated the child’s diaper was full.
“Things were questionable on the cause of death,” said Chief Mills.
DeCapio and Taylor were each charged with 28 counts of child neglect, one for each day the child lived in the deplorable conditions in the home.
Chief Mills noted it was a difficult crime scene for his deputies.
“Two of the deputies there have small children. It’s difficult, but thankfully they are professionals and were able to deal with what needed to be dealt with,” he said
The Sheriff’s Department has set up a debriefing Monday to allow those deputies who were on the scene to speak with a counselor if they need to talk about it.