4-month-old baby dies after parents repeatedly rubbed alcohol on her gums, police say
Parents in West Virginia have been charged with murder after their 4-month-old baby died with alcohol in her system. (Source: WDTV)
By WDTV News Staff and Emily Van de Riet
Published: Apr. 21, 2025 at 4:49 PM CDT
GASSAWAY, W.Va (WDTV/Gray News) – Parents in West Virginia have been charged with murder after their 4-month-old baby died with alcohol in her system.
James Joseph Smith, 34, and Angel Talbert, 23, both of Gassaway, have each been charged with first-degree murder, child neglect resulting in death and conspiracy, according to the Braxton County Sheriff’s Department. They were arrested last week.
The baby died on Nov. 16, 2024.
Earlier this month, deputies received the medical examiner’s results, which stated that the baby’s liver tissue was positive for ethanol with a reading of .321. A doctor told deputies that amount would be fatal to an infant child, court documents say.
An investigation showed that Smith and Talbert had been rubbing alcohol on the baby’s gums almost every day for a month prior to her death whenever she would get irritable and fussy, court documents say.
During the initial interview with the couple in November, Smith told deputies that Talbert woke up to use the restroom between 4 and 5 a.m. and told him to check on the baby. He said that the infant was not breathing and that she was face down, court documents say.
Smith said Talbert immediately called 911, and he started to perform CPR. They eventually loaded the baby into their vehicle and were traveling to the hospital when they met the ambulance at the bottom of the driveway, court documents say.
At approximately 5:15 a.m., the baby was put into the ambulance, and at approximately 5:32 a.m., she was pronounced dead, deputies said.
While deputies were at the couple’s home, they said there were roaches crawling in multiple places throughout the home, and there was no running water in the kitchen or bathroom.
Smith told deputies that they used a spigot in the back room for water and would fill up containers to take them to the bathroom and kitchen when needed.
While in the back room, deputies also saw smoking apparatuses, which they said were used to smoke THC.
After receiving the medical examination results earlier this month, two more interviews were conducted with the couple, in which Smith reportedly admitted they both had been rubbing alcohol on the baby’s gums.
Smith and Talbert are both currently in the Central Regional Jail with no bond set.
