BRAXTON COUNTY, W.Va. – A Braxton County couple is in jail after being charged with the death of their infant who was found with lethal ethanol levels in its system.
According to a criminal complaint in Braxton County Magistrate County, James J. Smith, 34, and Angel Talbert, 23, are charged with first-degree murder, child neglect resulting in death and conspiracy.
Initially, deputies were called to Braxton County Memorial Hospital in November 2024 to investigate the death of an infant child.
According to police, Smith and Talbert said they found the baby face down and not breathing. They said that while they were trying to attempt CPR, they loaded the child into a car and met with an ambulance who took the infant to the hospital, however a short time later the baby was pronounced dead.
According to deputies, when they searched the home, they found “very poor” living conditions. They found roaches crawling around and no running water in the bathroom or kitchen.
According to the complaint, earlier this month, police received the toxicology report which showed ethanol rate of 3.210 in the infant’s liver, which is deadly for infants.
In an interview two days after the fact, the couple admitted to putting rubbing alcohol on the infants’ gums and around its mouth every day for a month when the baby got irritable.
Both are being held without bond.