A 40-year-old babysitter was arrested on Tuesday, September 12, over the death of an 11-month-old girl in Virginia.
The York-Poquoson Sheriff, Ron Montgomery, said that the suspect, Kristen Graham faces charges of felony child neglect and misdemeanor animal cruelty.
The incident was brought to the attention of law enforcement when Paul Kudlaty, an 80-year-old neighbor, arrived at a Newport News hospital claiming to have a deceased child in his car. Hospital staff found the child’s body in a black garbage bag in the vehicle.
Subsequent inquiries led authorities to Graham, who was the unfortunate baby’s caregiver. She regularly looked after the child, Myrical, the daughter of 17-year-old Arianna Wicker.
According to Sheriff Montgomery, around 1 am, a friend caring for an elderly individual in Newport News called Graham, requesting cigarettes. Graham made the purchase at 711, went to the friend and stayed overnight.
After the visit, Graham returned home at about 8 am, went to sleep and woke up in the early afternoon and discovered Myrical and the dog unresponsive in the car. The temperature in Seaford that day was noted to have reached 88 degrees.
The child was placed in a garbage bag for reasons yet to be clarified. Kudlaty then transported the child to Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital. He is not currently facing any charges related to the incident.
During a search at Graham’s home, the dog was found deceased in a bathtub. Graham mentioned to the police that she had consumed the prescription medication Gabapentin prior to the Newport News drive. Gabapentin is a medication that is primarily used to treat certain types of seizures and relieve neuropathic pain
A GoFundMe campaign has been initiated by Myrical’s maternal grandmother, Frances Spires, to assist Arianna Wicker with funeral costs.
