Photo:Arianna Wicker
Arianna Wicker
Kristen D. Graham, 40, was arrested Tuesday and charged with felony child neglect and animal cruelty following the deaths, the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office told PEOPLE in a statement.
Sheriff Ron Montgomery spoke out about the incident in anews conferenceon Facebook Wednesday.
According to Montgomery, Graham served as caretaker to the animal and to the child — who’s name was Myrical Wicker — and that the girl’s 17-year-old mother, Arianna Wicker, was allowing Graham to watch her daughter.
Kristen Danielle Graham, a 40-year-old Seaford resident, was arrested last night, September 12, 2023, on 1 Felony count of Child Neglect and 1 misdemeanor count of Animal Cruelty.Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail
Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail
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Medical staff “then went out to the car” and “observed a black plastic trash bag” in the hatch of the vehicle, discovering “a deceased 11-month-old child,” he recalled.
Police launched an investigation upon identifying the child.
Montgomery said that Graham left Myrical, who Graham had been watching for two days, inside the vehicle along with the dog. The heat index was at least 100 degrees.
York-Poquoson Sheriff Ron Montgomery at a news conference in York County, Virginia on September 13, 2023.York-Poquoson Sheriffâs Office/ Facebook
York-Poquoson Sheriffâs Office/ Facebook
Prior to that, Graham had brought the the child and dog around 1 a.m. to a friend’s place to deliver “cigarettes and a bottle of apple juice” from a gas station, Montgomery said. They stayed for a few hours before driving back around 8 a.m. to York County.
After arriving at her home, Graham “rolled the windows up on the car,” shut off the ignition, and “left the dog and the child in the vehicle,” he said — adding that she went inside and fell asleep.
Graham first claimed to the sheriff’s office that she remained in the vehicle with the child and dog, but Montgomery said their investigation shows that wasn’t the case. “It’s senseless that something like this happens,” he said.
It is unclear if Graham has obtained counsel yet.
The investigation is ongoing, the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office told PEOPLE, adding “we are awaiting results from the Medical Examiner’s Office as to the cause of death.”
Spires wrote on aGoFundMe pagethat daughter Arianna was “a first time mom” whose daughter “has passed away unexpectedly,” adding that she’s “at a loss for words.
source: people.com
