WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Two more women have been charged in a Mingo County infant death investigation.
A criminal complaint filed in Mingo County Magistrate Court revealed that Merissa Pruitt, 35, of Delbarton, and Tonya Hayton, 50, of Williamson, face charges for last week’s discovery of a dead four-month-old baby.
Jonda Whitt, 35, of Varney, was arrested Saturday and charged with child neglect causing death and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
The criminal complaint said Whitt told Pruitt over the phone on Saturday that her child was dead and that there were drugs in the house. Whitt is accused of telling Pruitt not to call emergency services personnel for fear of the drugs getting discovered.
The complaint said a man contacted Mingo County 911 after his daughter allegedly overheard this conversation and EMS were dispatched around 2:26 p.m. The infant showed rigor mortis in the extremities, indicating to EMS crews that the baby had been dead for a while already. The baby was pronounced dead at 2:44 p.m.
Whitt reportedly told state police that she fell asleep around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday. She later admitted to police that she’d taken fentanyl that night after officers found a plastic bag with white powdery substance in her mouth. The complaint said Whitt said she discovered the baby around 1:50 p.m. and allegedly tried to perform CPR to revive the infant.
The complaint went on to say Whitt claimed she had contacted authorities about the discovery, but MECCA records indicated Whitt had made no such call.
The complaint said Pruitt was charged for not contacting emergency services after hearing about the child’s death, in addition to not getting medical attention for the child. Pruitt allegedly allowed Whitt and the baby to live in her Varney house.
Meanwhile, Hayton was charged for violating Child Protective Services instruction. Hayton had received the infant from CPS, who had given her foster parent responsibilities.
Hayton allegedly allowed Whitt to live in her Williamson house for two years despite CPS “specifically” telling her to keep the child away from Whitt. Hayton reportedly admitted to disregarding the CPS order and saw Whitt take drugs with the baby in the room. Additionally, the complaint said Hayton confessed to taking substances in the presence of the infant.
State police said the investigation is ongoing.