4 charged with manslaughter after infant's autospy shows methamphetamine toxicity
Citrus County, Florida - On Wed., Sept. 9, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) announced the arrest of four Citrus County residents whose negligence, according to detectives, resulted in the death of a two months-old female infant on March 13, 2020.
After an investigation into the infant's death by CCSO Special Victim's Unit detectives Richey and Norton, with the assistance of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Citrus County State Attorney's Office, an arrest warrant was obtained for each of the four adults., who were all placed under arrest by the United States Marshall's Task Force: Kevin Courtney 25, and Tammy Allison, 44, were located in Citrus County on Sept. 4; Stephanie Carroll, 25, was located in Hernando County, FL on Sept. 4; and Steven Gibson, 52, was located in Chatham County, GA on Sept. 8.
Each was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, child neglect, and maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of using controlled substances
"This case is an example of the heinous crimes that are investigated by the detectives of the CCSO Special Victim's Unit," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "It also highlights the cooperation between our office, state, and federal agencies in order to bring justice to Citrus County victims, like the precious child in this case. We want to thank our partners at the U.S. Marshals Service for their substantial and continuous support."
On March 13, 2020, Citrus County Sheriff's Office deputies and emergency medical services were dispatched to an Inverness residence in response to a 9-1-1 call that reported a two-month-old baby at the residence was unresponsive and not breathing. The infant was transported to Citrus Memorial Hospital in Inverness where she was later pronounced deceased. According to the autospy report by the District 5 Medical Examiner's Office, methamphetamine toxicity contributed to the infant's death.
During interviews, the four adults who were arrested, who lived in the home where the infant lived at the time of her death, told detectives that they regularly snorted and smoked methamphetamine in the presence of the deceased child and two other juveniles, who were removed from the home by the DCF and went to live with a family member.