Evidence exonerates family: Charges dropped in baby death
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - District Attorney Jared Wiliams says he’s dropping charges in the death of an infant initially thought to have died of hypothermia after being wrapped in a wet blanket and set in front of an air conditioner at a local motel.
Charges are being dropped against Bennie Nash, Lamisha Seright and September Seright, previously accused of malice murder and felony murder in the death of 3-month-old Josiah Seright.
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“The facts originally presented to the DA’s Office and the Grand Jury indicated the child’s death was caused by hypothermia, a condition in which body temperature falls below 95 degrees Fahrenheit,” Williams wrote in his announcement. “Hypothermia is caused by prolonged exposure to cold temperatures and wet conditions, which was ed by evidence that the child was placed in wet clothes and set in front of an air conditioner at 61 degrees Fahrenheit. The initial investigation led to the indictment of the adults responsible for the child’s care.”
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But he says the autopsy report and additional medical records do not the murder charges.
“While the autopsy lists the cause and manner of death as undetermined, the temperature of the child was greater than 95 degrees Fahrenheit at the time of his discovery, ruling out hypothermia as a cause of death,” Williams wrote.
“As Josiah did not die of hypothermia, the evidence no longer establishes a link between the defendants’ actions and the child’s death,” the district attorney wrote.
Josiah died in early August after the incident at the Budget Inn in the 1600 block of Gordon Highway.
Arrest warrants allege the child was left in a car safety seat, wrapped in a wet blanket, while his mother, September Seright, was in the shower, with the child in the bathroom.
She then placed the child in front of the air conditioner “for an unknown amount of time” while she was lying on a couch and the other two suspects were lying in a bed, according to the arrest warrants.
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