ATLANTA — A mother and father in Paulding County have been arrested in connection to the death of their four-week-old infant. Deputies said doctors told them the child had a quantity of alcohol in its system that was over four times the legal limit for an adult.
The Paulding County Sheriff's Office said Sydnei Moran Dunn and Marquis Simon Colvin are currently being held in the county's jail facing a slew of charges.
On April 13, sheriff's deputies said they were contacted by authorities at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta regarding a four-week-old infant who was brought to the hospital by its parents and was unresponsive.
The officials there noted that the circumstances around the child's death didn't make sense and needed to be looked into by law enforcement.
11Alive spoke with Public Information Officer Sergeant Ashley Henson about the case.
"The authorities there thankfully noticed that something wasn't right with what the family was saying occurred, in connection with the way the child actually was looking and feeling," he said.
Once on the scene, detectives spoke with the parents. They said Dunn originally told them that the child must have gotten alcohol poisoning from her while she was breastfeeding. The mother noted that she had drank a large amount of alcohol the day prior.
However, detectives then said she told them the father put alcohol in the baby's bottle. Warrants say the child went into cardiac arrest due to its alcohol intake.
"With an alcohol level four times that of what an adult could be charged with DUI... even for an adult, that's a significant amount, but for a four week old child, good grief," he added.
After serving a search warrant where the parents lived, on Hillcrest Drive in Hiram, they located evidence of the crime, as well as a firearm. Sheriff's deputies noted that the child's father was a convicted felon and was not allowed to be near or possess a firearm.
"So detectives actually been out there multiple times, you know, looking through the house and making sure they got everything they need for this case," he said.
On April 14, officials at the hospital said that the child had passed away.
A neighbor who did not want to be identified reacted to the whole situation.
"A baby!? Oh my god... feeding a baby alcohol? That is wild. That’s wild. They’re sick. This is a very quiet neighborhood.. There’s nothing going on here. Nothing," she said.
The neighbor says the couple and the baby lived in the basement of the home, while another couple and two other children lived on the main floor. She said they all kept to themselves.
"I did not see them I did not know them," she added.
Several other neighbors said the same thing.
Sgt. Henson says the couple could face more charges than the ones listed below, pending the autopsy report and the district attorney's decision.
“Knowing that they're in custody, that is comforting, but just, it's just such a sad and tragic situation," Sgt. Henson said.
Arrest records from the Georgia Department of Corrections also show Colvin is a convicted felon charged with aggravated assault. He was on parole for that charge since July 2021, with an end date of November 2025.
Sydnei Moran Dunn:
- Malice Murder (F)
- Murder 2nd Degree (F)
- Cruelty to Children 1st Degree (F)
- Reckless Conduct (M)
Marquis Simon Colvin:
- Malice Murder (F)
- Murder 2nd Degree (F)
- Cruelty to Children 1st Degree (F)
- Reckless Conduct (M)
- Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (F)
- Parole Violation (F)