A dad has been arrested for shaking his toddler children to death after his partner, the babies’ mum, went shopping.
The incident took place in Buckhannon, a city in Upshur County, in the US state of West Virginia.
The children are said to have died of shaken baby syndrome, which occurs when an infant or toddler sustains a serious brain injury as a result of being forcefully shaken.
The dad, named as Thomas W. Cunningham, 27, was arrested and charged with child abuse resulting in the death of a child and child abuse resulting in injury, and his partner Ciera N. Gillespie, 25, was charged with child neglect resulting in the death of a child and child neglect resulting in serious bodily injury after their two sons, aged 1 and 2, died.
The tragic deaths are said to have taken place at the end of November but the couple were only arrested on Friday, 9th December, after the children, who have not been named, were taken to hospital with serious injuries suspected of being the result of child abuse.
The two-year-old boy was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, while the younger child arrived in critical condition before succumbing to his injuries as well, according to the children’s grandmother, named as Stephanie Warner.
Gillespie was arrested as well after she reportedly told investigators that she believed that Cunningham was “under the influence of a controlled substance” when she left to go to the shops.
Cunningham allegedly told investigators that he had “used Percocet to get high” that day.
Percocet is an opioid used to relieve pain.
The Upshur County Sheriff, Virgil Miller, said that further charges were expected to be brought.
Newsflash obtained a statement from the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office dated 9th December and saying: “The Upshur County Sheriff’s office, WV [West Virginia] State Police, and Mountain Lake Drug and Violent Cime Taskforce has been investigating this case since the incident on November 28, 2022.
“Arrests were made today, December 9, 2022, on both suspects Cunningham and Gillespie involving the death and injury of two infant children in Upshur County.”
Cunningham is being held without bond, while Gillespie was detained on a USD 200,000 (GBP 163,000) bond.
The investigation is ongoing.
