A couple from Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood has been charged with manslaughter following the death of their 5-week-old baby.
Raynell L. Reed and Gerard L. Winn both pleaded not guilty in Suffolk Superior Court on Nov. 24, according to The Boston Globe. The judge ordered each of them held on $100,000 cash bail ahead of their next scheduled court appearance on Dec. 18.
Reed, 31, and Winn, 52, learned they were expecting in September 2024, Boston.com reports. Their baby was born at home on Cheney Street in Dorchester on Dec. 5, 2024, and died in January, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office told the outlet. Prosecutors say Reed delivered the child approximately two months prematurely.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the baby died from “acute intoxication from the combined effects of fentanyl and cocaine, in a premature infant with malnourishment and sepsis,” according to Boston.com.
On Jan. 9, Reed called 911 when the infant — identified in court records as G.R.W. — stopped breathing. The baby was taken to Boston Medical Center and later pronounced dead, prosecutors said, per The Boston Globe.
“During the five weeks of her life, G.R.W. failed to gain or maintain weight and was severely malnourished,” Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Laura C. Drohan wrote in court documents cited by the outlet. “Despite knowing that their baby was born at least two months premature and observing the newborn was unable to gain or maintain weight, the defendants never sought any medical care for the infant as her health continued to significantly deteriorate.”
NBC 10 Boston reports that the child, who was also suffering from sepsis, weighed only 2.5 pounds at the time of her death.
Reporters have contacted the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the Chief Medical Examiner for additional information.
