Drugged mom, Megin Gray,wakes, finds baby dead/prosecutors agreed to drop 1 count of 2nd-degree manslaughter. Manslaughter carries a sentence of 5 to 10 years in prison, criminal abuse charges are each punishable by 1 to 5 years/Gray sentenced to 5 years

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Drugged mom wakes, finds baby dead

By Brenna R. Kelly • [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] • January 19, 2011

(There is a picture.)

COVINGTON – A 26-year-old mother woke up Tuesday after sleeping for 12 hours and found her 9-month-old daughter lying on the floor badly burned.

Megin Gray rushed the infant to the hospital but it was too late.

Police say Gray had taken Xanax, Percocet and drank alcohol before going to sleep about 11 p.m. Monday in the west Covington apartment where she lived with the infant, her three other children and another couple and their child.

Gray awoke about 11 a.m. and discovered the infant lying against a baseboard heater, said Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders.

Police were called to the St. Elizabeth Covington emergency room about 11:30 a.m. after the baby was pronounced dead.

The infant “suffered from severe burns from head to toe on the left side of the body,” according to a search warrant filed by Covington Detective Brian Fuller.

Gray was arrested Tuesday night and charged with second-degree criminal abuse in the baby’s death. The charge could be upgraded depending on the results of an autopsy performed Wednesday, Sanders said.

“Her alcohol and narcotics consumption at the very least contributed to the situation that resulted in the child’s death,” Sanders said.

If convicted of criminal abuse, Gray could face one to five years in prison.

According to the police report, Gray told police she took the drugs and drank the alcohol before sleeping in the bed with the baby.

She awoke to find the baby unconscious, according to the search warrant.

Someone else drove Gray and the baby the two miles from the John Street apartment to the hospital, Sanders said.

Officers searched the apartment Tuesday looking for the heater, bed, sheets and any other evidence of a crime, according to the search warrant.

The investigation was continuing Wednesday, said Covington Police spokesman Lt. Col. Spike Jones. He would not say who else was in the apartment during the hours Gray was sleeping.

Authorities did not release the baby’s name Wednesday because they did not know whether her father, who is in federal prison, had been notified.

Gray’s three other children, who are 4, 3, and 2, and the child of the couple who also lived in the apartment were all taken into state custody by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Human Services, Sanders said.

A man who answered the door at the apartment Wednesday afternoon said he did not want to comment about Gray or what happened Tuesday.

Gray’s MySpace page contains hundreds of pictures of her with her four daughters. The girls’ names are tattooed on the front, back and sides of Gray’s neck.

Gray has been arrested several times in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties, according to state court records. The charges include alcohol intoxication, not having insurance and other traffic charges.

Her most serious arrest came in 2005 when she was charged with carrying a concealed deadly weapon in Campbell County. She was found guilty and sentenced to 90 days in jail.

Gray appeared in Kenton District Court Wednesday morning through a video link from the Kenton County jail. Judge Ken Easterling appointed a public defender to represent Gray and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Jan. 26.

Gray was being held on $25,000 cash bond in the Kenton County jail Wednesday afternoon.


Here we go again. I cannot believe these people. These poor little children.

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Local Mom Wakes Up To Burned Baby
Published: 1/19 2:06 pm Updated: 1/19 5:57 pm

A Covington woman faces charges after telling police she awoke from a night of drug and alcohol use to discover her infant daughter severely burned.



26-year-old Megin Gray is currently charged with second degree criminal abuse.

Prosecutors say that charge may be upgraded depending on the results of an autopsy on the little girl. This happened in her John Street home where she lives with her three children and another couple.

According to the police report, Gray told officers she went to bed after taking xanax, percocet and drinking alcohol late Monday night.

She says she woke about 12-hours later to find the baby next to a baseboard heater with severe burns.

Police and prosecutors hope the autopsy will be able to tell them if the baby was alive when suffering the burns or already dead.

Megin Gray is due back in court on her current charge later this month.


This is Covington, Kentucky.

I like how you typed this as bold. It speaks volumes.

Police and prosecutors hope the autopsy will be able to tell them if the baby was alive when suffering the burns or already dead.

If convicted of criminal abuse, Gray could face one to five years in prison.

According to the police report, Gray told police she took the drugs and drank the alcohol before sleeping in the bed with the baby.

She awoke to find the

baby unconscious, according to the search warrant.

WHAT?? One to five years???????

I don't even know what to say about this one alone reading it makes me sick ...Why in the world would you get so darn drugged up that you don't hear your baby cry ?? Hell I don't even take NyQuil if I have a cold just out of paranoia I don't hear my son in his crip.
This just pisses me off this could have easily been prevented

OMG, this is just horrific! Not only did she take those meds and drank when she has 4 kids to take care of, but she actually takes the baby to bed with her!! WTF???

By looking at her FB page she seems like a proud momma, but she obviously doesn't know how to act like one!!

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I wonder if the baby was dead or unconscious prior to being up against the heater. It just seems like a 9 month old would be able to move away from the heater but if she was also under the influence of something then she wouldn't have moved away from the heat.
Again and again we hear of these heartbreaking stories, when will it end.....

This is a picture of that 'mom'.

Adopt the rest of the children out--NOW!

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Aunt says state should share blame in infant's death



Posted: 01/21/2011
Last Updated: 35 minutes ago

COVINGTON, Ky. - Nine-month-old Anthia Lattimore died Tuesday after being severely burned by a baseboard heater in an apartment on John St. in Covington, Ky.

The baby's mother, 26-year-old Megin Gray was charged with criminal abuse.

Police say Gray told officers that she had taken Xanax, Percocet and alcohol before going to sleep next to Anthia Monday night.

Megin's aunt Mary, who was fearful of going on camera, and would use only her first name, says the State of Kentucky knew Gray was not a fit parent, but did nothing to protect Anthia.

"The worker that's been on the case for the last two years should be standing side by side with her on trial," she says.

Mary says caseworkers knew Gray had mental problems. She says two of Gray's older children had already been put into foster care. Since then Megin had given birth to two more.

"This case could have been prevented," Mary says. "All they had to do was remove the children, like they did the first two."

To make matters worse, Mary says Megin's older children were spending the night when the tragedy happened.

Jim Grace, Assistant Director of Kentucky's Department for Family Based Services, could only say protective actions have to be ordered by a judge first.

Mary says even though she has great affection for Megin, the state just wasn't paying attention to her problems.

"She was supposed to be randomly drug tested. They did one drug test. One...in four years."

While the family grieves over the loss of Anthia, the courts will have to decide who should be held accountable.

Contributions to help pay for Anthia's burial can be made at any Fifth Third Bank, payable to the Anthia Lattimore Memorial Fund.


Here we go again. The State Agencies NOT DOING their JOB! That poor little baby.

What is the aunt's excuse for not stepping up to the plate?

Exactly Charm. I wondered the same thing. Has she reported her or done nothing? Where is the father and his family being concerned over this?

Drugs, drugs and drugs, always seem to be in the picture of most of these cases.

Holy Crap, this is not a responsible, upstanding mom. She's a drama queen, still playing games like a teen with the "haters". Check out her MySpace blog and Status and Mood, neither of which I can post here because of the language.

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She's disgusting. OMG and she's a Mom. Sickening.

raine, I think we posted at the same time. Boy do I agree with you.

She makes me . What a piece of crap she is! Totally uneducated. Women like this need to be fixed so they cannot reproduce. I hope they never give those remaining kids back to her and that thing, I guess the father. These kids will not have a decent life unless they are put with someone who will care about them and see that they do make something out of themselves.

I hope she's locked up for a long time. No, she should NEVER get her kids back and I wish it were legal to be sterilized, she's an excellent candidate!

You're a night owl just as I am I've noticed. I wish I could sleep!

raine1953 wrote:
I hope she's locked up for a long time. No, she should NEVER get her kids back and I wish it were legal to be sterilized, she's an excellent candidate!

You're a night owl just as I am I've noticed. I wish I could sleep!

Oh yes ranie, I am having a hard time with sleeping lately. I sleep a short time and then I am awake again.

OMG, the language, if you can call it that!!! This is such a tough thread to read!

If we all concentrate on having her children adopted out maybe it will happen and they will have brighter futures.

Yes but locked up for how long? current sentence is five years - serve two get out and start having more kids?
An innocent child is dead! Dont the autorities get that?
Why are childrens lives lessor than adults as far as penalties. Enough with this irresponsible thing who calls herself a mother. Enough children, enough drag on a system that cannot police itself, enough enough enough!
Lock her up for 20 years no probation that at least will put her out of commission to have even more children.

This is so horrible!!! I hate to think of that poor baby and the pain she went through while her mother slept!! She had to be crying and screaming!!! It make me sick! Artgal I agree with you enough is enough.

WOW reading her mood on MySpace what a charming lady !!

This is very sad & I agree that this "mother" should be locked up for a long time... and be permananently "fixed" so that she can't torture & murder any more babies!!

I do think, however, that this poor child didn't die from the burns (unless she was drugged too). She would have been screaming & able to get away from the heater at her age. The mom probably suffocated the baby while drugged out & then she fell off the bed & got burned. JMO!!

I agree that the baby was probably dead by homicide before he was burned.

I know of a gal in Florida who was dead drunk and rolled over on her baby and suffocated it. Her baby was a new born.

I do not think this mother committed first degree murder. I think the baby fell off the bed and probably landed on the heater..if it's one of those space heaters, it could have turned over on the baby and burnt it. How sad!

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Mother could face homicide charges in baby's death

By Jim Hannah • [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] • January 26, 2011

COVINGTON – A 26-year-old mother may face homicide charges after waking up from an alleged alcohol and drug-induced sleep to find her 9-month-old daughter lying on the floor badly burned.

Kenton Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders made the announcement during Megin Gray’s preliminary hearing today in Kenton District Court. Gray is currently charged with second-degree criminal abuse.

• Photos: Megin Gray in court

Gray is being held at the Kenton County jail in lieu of $25,000 cash bond but her public defender, Jamie Jameson, hopes to negotiate an agreement that would allow her to attend her daughter’s funeral Thursday. Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Brian Richmond had opposed reducing the bond but said he would consider releasing her to attend the funeral.

Covington Police Detective Brian Fuller testified at the hearing that Gray had taken Xanax, Percocet and drank two 16-ounce beers before going to sleep about 11 p.m. Jan. 17 in a west Covington apartment where she lived in a single room with the infant and her at least two other children.

Gray awoke about 11 a.m. the following morning to find the infant, Anthia Lattimore, wedged between the mattress and wall and on top of a baseboard heater, Fuller said. An initial autopsy report ruled Anthia died of positional asphyxiation, but Fuller added that Anthia’s body was covered from head to toe with deep burns.

Jameson implied during the hearing that Anthia could have died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and then rolled off the bed. Anthia was asleep on the bed with her mother.

Sanders said he was waiting for police to complete more of their investigation before making a final decision on whether to press more charges. A potential charge Gray could face would be manslaughter, Sanders said.

Judge Ken Easterling criticized the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services during the hearing. He said the cabinet had previous contact with the people living in Gray’s home but did not remove the children.

raine1953 wrote:I wonder if the baby was dead or unconscious prior to being up against the heater. It just seems like a 9 month old would be able to move away from the heater but if she was also under the influence of something then she wouldn't have moved away from the heat.
Again and again we hear of these heartbreaking stories, when will it end.....

raine,

It looks like you could be right about the baby already being dead, but how would it be able to roll off of the bed and up against the heater.

It kind of sounds like the mattress could have been on the floor. ?????

How irresponsible of her to take those drugs and then have 2 beers before she went to bed anyways. She has a baby to take care of. I think that was already determined above though.

Drugs sure seem to be so very important to these people.

OMG, it sounds like that poor little baby rolled off of the mattress, onto the floor, was wedged between the heater and the mattress (or box springs!).
OMG, that poor little baby very well *might* have been alive when it happened. She probably screamed and that thing of a Mom probably didn't hear her! OMG.
Oh yea, charge that b**** with murder, she should NEVER be around her own children or any children again!
That poor baby probably suffered until she passed out.
Someone knowingly taking that combo of drugs and drinking prior to bed, should be able to at least be charged with 2nd degree murder.

I agree, raine! That is a horrible way to die... poor little girl!!

Covington Police Detective Brian Fuller testified at the hearing that Gray had taken Xanax, Percocet and drank two 16-ounce beers before going to sleep about 11 p.m. Jan. 17 in a west Covington apartment where she lived in a single room with the infant and her at least two other children.

How in the hell could the DCF or whatever they are called legally ALLOW this "mother" to have 3 kids and herself living in a single room? WTF? Wouldn't the Housing Authority along w/DCF deem this illegal/too small for four people??

This monster had two other children..and she willingly takes those two RX's (& we have no clue how many she took) & alcohol? What if there had been an emergency with one of her children? They would not have been able to wake her up. Hell, the house could have caught on fire and they all would have burned to death.

The poor little infant had to suffer those burns. OMG, the mere thought of it is so gut wrenchingly horrific! I agree. They should charge her w/2nd degree Murder!!

Wrap, Megan's Aunt Mary said that she had 4 children. The oldest 2 had already been taken away. Then Megan had 2 more children after than. She said the the Family Services ?? knew that Gray had "Mental Problems." They knew about the drugs and she was supposed to be regularly drug tested and it had been done only once in 4 years. Talk about not doing your job.

Then the baby's father is in Federal Prison. OMG, what a "wonderful bunch of people. There are Grandparents on each side, Aunts, WHY did they not do something? Turn this girl in over and over.

Gray’s three other children, who are 4, 3, and 2, and the child of the couple who also lived in the apartment were all taken into state custody by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Human Services, Sanders said.

Megan had all 4 of her children staying with her, plus another couple and their child living in a 1 room apartment. How could they do that? Again, why did her family who had to know how she lived turned her in. Neighbors had to know all those people were living there.

Why did the other couple not hear the baby cry or something and check on her? I don't understand.

It is a little late for Megan's Aunt Mary to now step up and say that "this could have been prevented." OMG! is all I can say. What about Megan's parents???????

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(There are pictures of Anthia and her sisters at the above website for the Funeral Home. Senseless and unnecessary death of another innocent child.)

Anthia R. Lattimore , 9 months of Covington, KY. Passed away January 18, 2011 at her residence.

She is survived by her Mother Megin Gray. Father Anthony Lattimore. Sisters Marlaysia Gray, Keyana Gray and Shawntae Saunders. Maternal Grandparents Stephanie and Donald Stapleton. Paternal Grandmother Gussy Lattimore. Great Maternal Grandparents Dan and Laverne Gray.

Visitation will be held at Cooper Funeral Home, Alexandria,Ky on Thursday January 27, 2011 from 10AM – 12 Noon. Services will begin at Noon. Burial will private.
Funeral Services
Previous
Visitation:

Thursday January 27
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Cooper Funeral Home
10759 Alexandria Pike Alexandria, KY 41001
More Info → View Map →
x Add'l Info: (859) 635-7844
Funeral Service:

Thursday January 27
12:00 PM
Cooper Funeral Home
10759 Alexandria Pike Alexandria, KY 41001
More Info → View Map →
x Add'l Info: (859) 635-7844

Thanks for posting that, PFF! It was very heart-breaking to see the precious little girl - in one picture her lips looked purple. Not sure why, but the mother obviously should never have been a mother! She loved her drugs & booze more than her own precious children. I think God rescued little Anthia from that terrible home & now she is safe with Him

If the baby screamed, I would think that even a 4 year old could see what was wrong and move her.
I still believe she was dead before she was burned.

charminglane wrote:If the baby screamed, I would think that even a 4 year old could see what was wrong and move her.
I still believe she was dead before she was burned.

I think you are right, Charm! I can't imagine her being burned to death by a heater. That would be a very slow & painful death for anyone... let alone a baby! I would think that she would be screaming so much that even her drugged out mom would wake up!!

Rainbow wrote:Thanks for posting that, PFF! It was very heart-breaking to see the precious little girl - in one picture her lips looked purple. Not sure why, but the mother obviously should never have been a mother! She loved her drugs & booze more than her own precious children. I think God rescued little Anthia from that terrible home & now she is safe with Him

You are welcome Rainbow. The pictures and music got to me too. I had seen a picture of her with her lips purple, maybe on that FB page. I did not understand that either. It really make me mad that NO ONE stepped up to help those children.

charminglane wrote:If the baby screamed, I would think that even a 4 year old could see what was wrong and move her.
I still believe she was dead before she was burned.

I don't understand that either, especially if there was another couple and their child living in that one room apartment also. Why would they not have heard that baby crying. IDK!

Rainbow wrote:

charminglane wrote:If the baby screamed, I would think that even a 4 year old could see what was wrong and move her.
I still believe she was dead before she was burned.

I think you are right, Charm! I can't imagine her being burned to death by a heater. That would be a very slow & painful death for anyone... let alone a baby! I would think that she would be screaming so much that even her drugged out mom would wake up!!

Looking at the last picture that LM posted, I just thought about the siblings having to live with this also. I am thinking that most of them will have some memory of their little sister.

This story absolutely breaks my heart. I hope that little baby girl had her angels with her, and felt no pain. I hope she feels nothing but love now. I want her to know that she is loved and not forgotten, and I am so sorry she had to suffer through this atrocity.

Tracy, to VH!

I so agree with your post. That poor little girl. I want her Mother behind bars forever.

charminglane wrote:If the baby screamed, I would think that even a 4 year old could see what was wrong and move her.
I still believe she was dead before she was burned.

Makes you wonder, the other couple in the house would have heard the baby screaming. If not murdered, they may not have heard her screams, she may have been squeezed between the mattress and the heater and her screams may have been muffled into the mattress.
Another thought. if she was dead by an injury on the same side as the burns, she could have been placed on the heater to hide the crime.
OMG, how could I even write such a thing? "Mom" should be sterilized ASAP. Sounds like she has so many kids for the welfare money that you get for each child.
Wonder if the Bio dad will be able to go to the funeral, escorted by prison guards from his Federal pen??

Forgot, we have a neighbor at the top of our street, their house is on the corner of my country road and a busier, fast driving road. Right before Christmas, other neighbors found a nude 18 month old in the middle of the busy road. Just sitting there, in a blind spot where he could easily been flattened and killed. Neighbors took nude baby to the house where they thought the baby lived. They rang and rang the door. Finally a messed up mom (I say that likely) came to the door. She had been passed out on the couch in the early am. Yelled at the couple that saved the baby, to butt out. I gave neighbors hell. Baby should have gone home with them, they should have called 911. The young mom lives in her dad's house and has turned it into a real party house. The poor baby. I hope to the Lord that something worse does not happen to baby with a drugged up mother.

tracy wrote:This story absolutely breaks my heart. I hope that little baby girl had her angels with her, and felt no pain. I hope she feels nothing but love now. I want her to know that she is loved and not forgotten, and I am so sorry she had to suffer through this atrocity.

Welcome to VH, Tracy. Loved your first post. Will look fwd to your other opinions and comments on all of the different cases that we read and comment on!

CritterFan:

That is so horrible. I'm a newer first time mom, so maybe I am a little overly sensitive about all of this, but has anyone called authorities to report this family? That poor baby.

We called our sherrif's dept this summer. Said mom was keeping some horses across the street. We saw her cutting the field, with two small, small children in the TRACTOR bucket. She was flying, could have run the tractor into a hole, and flipped over. LE came out. We know she was talked to. Never did hear if LE told Social Services.
We called the neighbor that had rented his barn to her, when he heard about the bucket incident, he had her get her horses out and leave the next day. Thank God. Idiot."Mom".

Local Mom Wakes Up To Burned Baby
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Drugged mom wakes, finds baby dead

26-year-old Megin Gray excels at being a loser. I mean, she has gone over and above bad parenting with this trifecta of tardtabulous f**k ups.

Gray went to bed, Monday, after partaking in what I like to refer to a “the combo plan”. The “combo” being alcohol mixed with several types of drugs. In Gray’s case, the drugs of choice were Xanax and Percocet. I take Xanax when I fly… That shit will f**k you up without adding alcohol to it. Luckily for me, my husband flies with me, so my son is never neglected. Wait…. I don’t want to deviate from this tale of dumbassery. When Gray woke from her combo plan stupor, about 12 hours later, she found her 9-month-old daughter next to a baseboard heater and severely burned from head to toe on the left side of the body. Skankalicious rushed the baby to the hospital but it was too late. She was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Wait…. Did I mention that this whore had 3 other children (ages 4, 3, and 2)? And luckily her neck was fat enough to tattoo all of their names on it. Classy…. There was also another couple with a child living in the apartment. I’m not sure where they were at he time – I can only imagine that they weren’t home because how did no one hear that baby screaming? She had to have mad some sort of sound, right? I’m not blaming anyone but the skanktard, I’m just sayin’….

Gray told police she took the drugs and drank the alcohol before falling asleep in the bed with the baby. She woke up the next morning to find the baby unconscious.

I know… I know…. You all wanna know who knocked this fugly, ignorant broad up and where in the fuckovit was he while his baby was being burnt to a crisp. He’s in federal prison, of course.

Gray is currently being held on a second degree criminal abuse charge and is being held on $25,000 cash bond. Her prelim hearing is scheduled for January 26th. An autopsy of her daughter will determine if her charges will be upgraded. They are trying to determine if the infant was alive or dead before she was burnt. If convicted on the criminal abuse charge, Gray could face one to five years in prison. Hardly seems fair. 5 years for taking away a baby’s entire life.

Gray’s other daughters and the child of the couple who also lived in the apartment were all taken into state custody. That sort of sounds like the other couple was home during Gray’s lack of sobriety. Who knows?

On a side note, this is not Gray’s first time at the rodeo. She has herself quite the arrest record. Her prior arrests include alcohol intoxication, not having insurance and other traffic charges. In 2005, she was charged with carrying a concealed deadly weapon. She was found guilty and sentenced to 90 days in jail. Hmm. Maybe she’ll have some girls that’ll be happy to see her again.

Thanks go to Erin , Shal (Cynical Me), Jamie and my pet, Deena.

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