I want to warn you that the details of this case are very disturbing. Parents, Sydnei Moran Dunn (24) and Marquis Simon Colvin (25) face a list of charges, including murder, after their 4-week-old died.
The couple brought the baby to a hospital in Atlanta Georgia, after finding the infant unresponsive.
Hospital staffers were suspicious and contacted the police to investigate while they worked to save the infant. Upon investigation, police discovered that the newborn was intoxicated.
The mother, Dunn, first claimed that she had drank heavily the night before and insinuated that the alcohol transferred to the baby through her breast milk.
Sadly, the newborn died on the second day of treatment before the toxicology report returned. The test revealed that the baby had a blood alcohol level 4 times the legal limit for an adult.
The newborn’s mother changed her tune and claimed that the baby’s father, Colvin, had filled the baby’s bottle with alcohol. The Paulding County Sheriff’s office included their findings in a publically released report:
“During the evening of April 13, 2022, Detectives executed a search warrant at 51 Hillcrest Drive Hiram, GA 30141 (Hillcrest Subdivision) which is where the parents of the child live in a basement apartment. During the course of the search warrant, Detectives located evidence of the crime as well as a firearm. Colvin, who is a convicted felon, is not allowed to be in close proximity or possess a firearm.
On April 14, 2022, hospital officials indicated that the child had passed away as a result of its condition. Doctors further advised that the child had a quantity of alcohol in its system that was well over four times the legal limit for an adult. As a result of the search warrant, combined with the interviews of Dunn and Colvin, both individuals were placed under arrest without incident…”
The report included a list of charge each parent now faces:
Sydnei Moran Dunn (B/F, 24 YOA)
-Malice Murder (F)
-Murder 2nd Degree (F)
-Cruelty to Children 1st Degree (F)
-Reckless Conduct (M)
Marquis Simon Colvin (B/M, 25 YOA)
-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)
Police also released doorbell camera footage that showed officers removing the baby’s bassinet from the home:
Both parents are being held without bail in Paulding County. No word yet when this case will go before a judge.
Erica Carlin is an independent journalist, opinion writer and contributor to several news and opinion sources. She is based in Georgia.