BY ANNIE HOLLER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
DELBARTON, W.Va. — What began as the investigation into the death of a 4-month-old infant has widened into one of the most sweeping child neglect and drug cases in recent Mingo County history, with five women now under arrest and three charged with child neglect causing death.
Authorities allege the infant died after being exposed to an environment where illegal drug use was commonplace despite a Child Protective Services order intended to keep the child away from the mother because of her drug addiction. The investigation has also uncovered evidence investigators say points to drug trafficking inside the home where the infant died.
Charged with child neglect causing death are the child’s biological mother, Jonda Marie Whitt, 35, of Matewan; Marissa Pruitt, 35, of Delbarton; and Tonya Lynn Hayton, 50, of Williamson, who had been given custody of the infant after Child Protection Services removed the child from Whitt at birth.
Hayton also faces felony drug trafficking charges, along with Blanche Elizabeth Dotson, 35, of Belfry, Kentucky, and Regina Fay Allen, 34, of Williamson, after deputies executing a search warrant during the death investigation reported finding evidence they believe was consistent with the packaging and distribution of controlled substances.
The 911 call
The investigation began shortly after 2:10 p.m. June 20 when a man called Mingo County 911 after his daughter overheard a conversation between Whitt and Pruitt. According to the criminal complaint, the caller reported that Whitt said her baby was dead and instructed Pruitt not to call 911 because drugs and illegal substances were inside the home. The caller also reported that Whitt allegedly said she had drugs concealed in her bra and that the infant had been lying in that area.
STAT EMS transported the infant to meet an advanced life-support ambulance and law enforcement atop Horsepen Mountain. While emergency crews were en route, callers reported the infant appeared pale and showed signs of blood pooling on the back and rigor mortis. The infant was pronounced dead at 2:44 p.m. after EMS consulted with Huntington MEDCOM.
Investigation focuses on mother
According to investigators, Whitt said she went to sleep around 12:30 a.m. and did not wake until approximately 1:50 p.m. She told officers she checked on the infant and found the child warm to the touch but unresponsive, with a soiled diaper and clear fluid coming from the nose.
Whitt told investigators she attempted CPR before contacting Pruitt and 911. Police records state that neither Whitt nor Pruitt placed the emergency call and that investigators found no evidence CPR had been performed.
Investigators also allege they discovered a plastic baggie containing a white powdery substance believed to be fentanyl concealed inside Whitt’s mouth during questioning. According to the complaint, Whitt admitted to using fentanyl before the infant’s death.
Whitt was arrested on charges of child neglect causing death and possession with intent to deliver. She remains in the Southwestern Regional Jail on a $500,000 cash bond.
Woman accused of failing to seek help
Investigators allege Pruitt failed to contact emergency medical services or law enforcement after learning of the infant’s condition. According to police, she allowed Whitt and the infant to stay at her Delbarton residence despite knowing controlled substances were being used there.
A search of Pruitt’s residence allegedly uncovered cut straws, burned aluminum foil, glass smoking pipes commonly used to inhale narcotics and a container holding a brown substance believed to be a controlled substance.
Police allege that the unsafe condition of the residence, the presence of illegal drugs and Pruitt’s failure to seek emergency assistance contributed to the infant’s death.
Pruitt was arrested on a charge of child neglect causing death. She was arraigned in Mingo County Magistrate Court and remains in the Southwestern Regional Jail on a $500,000 bond.
Child was supposed to be protected
According to investigators, the infant had been removed from Whitt’s custody immediately after birth because she tested positive for drugs. West Virginia Child Protective Services placed the infant in Hayton’s custody and prohibited Whitt from having contact with the child.
Investigators allege Hayton nevertheless allowed Whitt to reside in her home for approximately two years and to have regular contact with the infant while knowing she was actively using illegal drugs.
According to the criminal complaint, Hayton told investigators she knew Whitt was using crack cocaine and fentanyl while the infant was in the bedroom. She allegedly said she could hear a lighter being ignited and had personally observed Whitt using drug paraphernalia to inhale the drugs.
Investigators allege Hayton never reported Whitt’s drug use around the infant to Child Protective Services or law enforcement. They also allege she failed to report Whitt leaving the residence with the infant the night before the child died.
According to police records, Hayton told investigators she attempted to locate Whitt and the infant but returned home and went to sleep after she was unable to find them.
Hayton also allegedly admitted she had struggled with drug addiction since 2011. According to investigators, she said her addiction progressed from prescription pain medication to heroin and that she had used heroin earlier that same day.
Hayton was arrested June 22 on a charge of child neglect causing death. She remains in the Southwestern Regional Jail on a $500,000 cash bond.
Drug investigation grows
While executing a search warrant at Hayton’s residence for electronic devices connected to the infant’s death, deputies reported discovering evidence they believed indicated an active drug distribution operation.
According to the criminal complaint, investigators found multiple burned foil stamps, several digital scales, numerous small plastic baggies, large quantities of used aluminum foil, marijuana-related paraphernalia, fentanyl test strips, a hypodermic syringe and a vial containing a white powder deputies believed to be heroin. Deputies also recovered a loaded 9mm handgun equipped with a large-capacity magazine containing 25 rounds of ammunition.
Because the original warrant authorized only the seizure of electronic devices, deputies secured the residence while obtaining a second search warrant to seize the suspected drugs, paraphernalia and other evidence.
Investigators allege the evidence showed Hayton, Dotson and Allen conspired to weigh, package and distribute controlled substances.
Hayton, Dotson and Allen were each charged with possession with intent to deliver and drug conspiracy. They were arraigned in Mingo County Magistrate Court and remain in the Southwestern Regional Jail on $50,000 cash-only bonds on those charges.
The investigation into the infant’s death remains ongoing.